Sing Me to Sleep
by lilajean15
Summary: Secrets around every corner threaten to unravel the careful balance of Genevive Cary's life, and moving to Beacon Hills may just be the biggest mistake her family has ever made. / S4 revision
1. Baby Steps

A/N 9/20/17: So, several years later, I'm back in an attempt to find my will to write again. I'm starting with this story, and editing the existing chapters to add in a new dialogue/interludes/maybe chapters as I go. Sorry that I disappeared, and I hope that some of you are still around and interested to see what's up.

* * *

Her fingernails were jagged.

She had picked at them until her skin stung and she'd started bleeding, curled up in thick blankets and hidden behind towers of brown boxes in the new house. Her mother had tried to draw her out of her room and stem her anxiety, to little effect.

"… and the office is going to take a photo for your ID card and give you your schedule…"

Painting them had done little to stop her nervous gnawing, and instead she had found herself peeling off chipped teal nail polish with every bite. Other online remedies suggested covering her fingers in band aids or soaking her nails in hot pepper juice to make them unbearable to taste, but her fingers were too sweaty to keep the band aids on and the smell of the peppers set her stomach on edge.

"… but maybe this place will be better, Genie... Honey? Are you alright?"

With an unfocused blink, Genie looked up from her nails and to her mother, sitting in the driver's seat. The car was already stopped in the parking lot, and her mother was leaning on the center console with a concerned look on her face. She reached out a hand to swipe a stray lock of curly brown hair out of Genie's face.

"I'm okay, mom," she murmured, rolling her eyes in an attempt to shake off the building bubble of dread that had dropped into the pit of her stomach.

"You look like you're going to hurl."

Genie ignored the jab and straightened in her seat, looking out of the front windshield as she absentmindedly set about picking at her fingernails again. Her mother reached over to still her fidgeting and patted her thigh, and cleared her throat. With a small sigh of exasperation, and a hint of a smile on her face, Genie rolled her eyes and looked up at her mom. "Are we going to do this on every first day, mom? Come on. I'm not five years old anymore."

Her mother scoffed, reaching out to shove her daughter's head in mock-annoyance. "We're going to do this every first day. It's our thing. You think I do this with your brothers? No, baby girl. This is just for me and my Genie," she beamed, pulling at her daughter's cheeks to get a rise out of her.

Genie laughed, unbuckling and turning to face her mom more fully. Her cheeks hurt from how wide she was smiling, a mirror look on her mother's face. Her mother began to sing in a low tone, the sound soothing the racing flutter of her heart. She let her eyes slip closed, focusing on slowing her breathing and calming herself as her mother smoothed her fingers across her cheeks. Sinking forward into her mother's across the center console, she began to hum along to her mother's voice. It was her song, a song her mother had made especially for her when she was born, and one that she sang to Genie whenever she was upset.

With a smile on her face and a little bit of renewed determination, Genie pulled away as her mother reached the end of the song. "I love you, mom," she said quietly, reaching for the door handle.

"And I love you, Genie," her mother replied, giving her back a gentle push as she exited the car with her backpack slung across one of her shoulders. "I'll see you when I get home from work tonight, yeah? You sure you still want to walk back today?"

Genie gave a small smile, nodding her head in affirmation and shutting the car door. She hesitated for just a moment by the school doors, looking back at the car to see the pensive look on her mother's face slide into a warm smile as they locked eyes. With a small wave, Genie spun back to the door and slipped inside. The sudden wave of loud laughter and chatter was broken only by the echo of slamming lockers and scuffing sneakers, and it took the air from Genie's sail. Three schools in five years and yet Genie still couldn't shake her nerves. Experience didn't mean anything when it came to this kind of situation. Being the new girl would always suck.

The ID that the office gave her was immediately hidden at the bottom of her bag and promptly and vehemently forgotten about, uncomfortable smile and all. Her schedule that the front office had given her that morning was worse for wear by the time Genie had made it halfway through homeroom. She had smoothed it out multiple times throughout the short period, trying to remove the folds that had settled into the paper as she attempted to memorize her schedule. By the time the bell rang, Genie thought she had at least the first three classrooms memorized, and figured that was the best she could do. With quick steps, she took off down the hallway, carefully weaving through the busy maze of people.

First period, she was sure, was English on the other side of the building. Picking up her pace, Genie shoved a hand into the pocket of her mossy-green cardigan, clenching and unclenching her fingers quickly to try and ease her stress. She wanted to tear into her fingernails again, but she knew biting them any further would only be a pain. Reaching the door to the classroom, she took in a quick breath to steel herself and walked towards the desk in the front. An older woman, with kind eyes and laugh lines etched around her mouth smiled at her from over a stack of books.

"Hello there. I don't think I've seen your face in my class before, have I?" she asked, extending a hand. Genie's lips drew into a tight smile that didn't quite reach her eyes as she reached out to shake the woman's hand. "I'm Mrs. McKnight."

"No, ma'am. I'm Genevive Cary. Transfer student," she replied. Her own grip was weak against the other woman and she retracted her hand with a bob of her head, swallowing nervously.

"Of course, Miss Cary. It's a pleasure to have you. I believe there's a seat towards the back, behind Miss Tate, the one with all the highlighters back there. I'll grab you a textbook and be right back."

Genie turned and walked with small, quick steps towards the back of the room, eyes glancing over the other girls to find the one with the highlighters. It was hard to miss her. The girl had a pencil sticking out of the corner of her mouth and a highlighter stuck behind each of her ears. Another was sitting on her desk next to a nearly destroyed eraser. Her hair was wild and falling into her eyes, seemingly blocking her vision, but she continued to scribble hastily at her notebook with a black pen. Walking past the girl, Genie set her battered schedule down on the desk as quietly as possible and grabbed one of her notebooks from her bag, trying to ignore the sudden uptick in whispers from around the steadily filling room. She took her seat quickly and slid down, ducking her head to write 'english' in neat lettering across the cover of the notebook. Despite trying to make herself as small as possible, the whispers didn't stop.

There was no warning when the girl in front of her whirled around, her dark eyes keenly focused on Genie as she pulled the pencil from her mouth. The girl raised an eyebrow, her expression caught somewhere between confusion and vague fascination, as Genie pulled her cardigan more securely towards her middle. That slow, bubbling dread had practically been streamlined into her veins as she sat with her head tilted down, praying that the girl would turn back around. She didn't. She continued to stare at Genie for a moment before finally speaking up.

"Is there something wrong with you?" she asked bluntly, brows drawn together. Genie lifted her eyes to look at her, mouth popping open in disbelief at the girl's question.

A textbook dropped onto her desk and Genie jolted in her seat, sitting up a little straighter to find Mrs. McKnight standing beside her. Despite her tiny stature, she proved an imposing figure with the look of disappointment on her face. "Miss Tate, that is entirely unacceptable behavior!" she reprimanded, staring the girl down. The girl flinched and turned her head to look at Genie again instead.

"I didn't mean in, like, a bad way," she backtracked, her words rushed together as she shook her head. A pink highlighter fell out from behind one of her ears and slid across the floor. "No, seriously. Like, I can sm- I can practically smell you freaking out. You seem way too nervous, so there's either something seriously wrong with you or- I don't know- I just-"

"Miss Tate! That is enough. I find it very troubling that you find it appropriate to…"

Genie tuned out of Mrs. McKnight's lecture and slumped in her seat, looking away from the girl's earnest and frazzled eyes. The whispers had dulled to a low hum, giving way to poorly hidden snickers as the girl in front of Genie got chewed out. By the end of the day, Genie was sure the story would have traveled across the school and everyone would know her as the girl that something was _wrong_ with who had to be defended by a teacher.

"Feel free to come and see me if you have any questions at all, Miss Cary."

Tilting her head up, Genie could see the kind, if not pitying, smile of Mrs. McKnight as the bell rang to start the period. The girl in front of Genie shifted until she was almost turned sideways, and ducked her head down so she could speak in Genie's direction quietly. "I didn't mean it as a mean thing. You just seemed way off whack or-"

"Or what? I'm nervous. Can't I be nervous?" Genie whispered back, a small quaver in her voice. Nervous and humiliated. She could feel her face aflame as her eyes darted to look at some of the other students in the room, not paying attention as Mrs. McKnight began to write on the board. When she let her eyes come back to the girl in front of her, she noticed the puzzled look aimed in her direction.

The girl had turned to face Genie almost entirely and tilted her head, reminding Genie of a confused dog for a moment. "I mean, yeah, you can be nervous, but… I mean, it's just school."

Genie clenched her hand around her notebook, curling the pages a little. School had never been easy for her. She had always been quiet and extremely self-conscious around large groups of people. It didn't help that, usually, just when she was getting comfortable in a single school, she would have to move. Her mother's job kept them flitting about the country so she could close deals and work companies through mergers, but it rarely kept them in a single place for more than two years.

"I don't have very good social graces," she muttered begrudgingly, turning her eyes down to look at her book. The girl's face was suddenly much closer, moving into her eye-line, with a much gentler look upon her face.

"My friends say I don't either. I'm Malia."

Genie blinked stupidly at her for a moment, a tiny smile curling across her lips to match Malia's. She could feel her face heat up as she moved to sit up straight again, flipping open her notebook absently.

"Genevive. You can, uh- Genie. Call me Genie," she said, smiling a little wider when the girl nodded and flashed a wide grin at her.

"Cool. You mind grabbing my highlighter?"

"Miss Tate!"


	2. Normal Things

By the time Genie reached her fifth period study hall in the library, she almost felt like she could breathe normally. Four periods had passed with only minimal whispering about the festive beginning to her day, but it had seemed manageable. Malia had disappeared quickly after class, not even turning around to say goodbye, with her highlighter horns at the ready for her next period. The nervousness that had boiled within Genie all morning seemed only to simmer as she signed in with the teacher and headed towards the back of the library, ducking behind shelves and weaving her way to a corner.

Finally on her own and away from the eyes of other people, she let herself sink into a chair and face-plant on the table before her with a quiet groan. Her bag slid off of her shoulder and onto the ground with a thump. She was tired. The past few days had hardly offered her any comfort, be it sleep or peace and quiet. Setting up the house and making it a home seemed to be taking forever, though Genie knew they were making good progress. Genie's own room was still littered with large brown boxes and packing peanuts and bubble wrap from the move cross-country, despite her self-imposed isolation in her room. It had been a long week of readjustment, and she was sure her struggles were only beginning.

Beacon Hills High School didn't seem too horrible, as of yet. Most of her teachers were incredibly welcoming, making sure to try and guide her on her first day. The students were typical teenagers, which she supposed she had to be thankful for. They gossiped, and she saw them stare curiously at her as she walked through the halls, but she was generally unacknowledged. It reminded her a lot of her old school, right down to the color of the tiles in the bathroom and the smell in the stairwells.

"No, really. I would bet on Scott over broody teenager sour-wolf any day. Hell, I'd bet on Scott in most situations. He just-"

"That's so sweet of you, buddy."

Genie turned towards where the voices were coming from, pushing her hair back and out of her face while resting on her other arm. The first person to come through the gap in the book cases caught her eye and froze, causing the next three people to crash into him and push him forward. She blanched at the awkward commotion, sitting up straight and watching as the first boy righted himself, turning to his friends with an disgruntled look. Looking up at the rest of the group, Genie felt a surge of relief rush through her when she recognized one of the faces.

"Oh. Hey Genie," Malia called out easily, pushing past the other three people to throw her bag clumsily onto the table and drop into an open seat. The others hovered, confusion clear on all of their faces as they inched closer.

It took most of her self-control to keep herself upright instead of slumping back in despair at the wary looks on the faces of the others. Genie forced herself to look at Malia instead, watching as she pulled books out of her bag.

"Hey," she muttered uneasily, eyes flitting back towards the girl's friends. The skinny boy who had stumbled through first looked absolutely baffled, blinking rapidly as he moved forward to slide into the seat beside Malia. He continued to look between the two of them expectantly. Genie swallowed nervously, lowering her eyes down to her hands as two of the other chairs were pulled out.

"Why are you guys being weird?"

Genie looked up to see Malia staring at the skinny boy accusingly. Blushing in embarrassment, Genie shifted in her seat and reached down to grab her bag, only to see a pair of ankle boots next to her. She looked back up slowly, past the miniskirt and blouse, to find a shrewd pair of eyes examining her.

"You're adorable, and your haircut does wonders to accent your bone structure. Why have I not seen you before?" the girl asked, a quizzical tilt to her head and sincere wonder in her voice. Genie opened her mouth to speak, snapping it shut quickly as she flushed even more. It took her a moment to gain back her wits, glancing quickly to see the rest of the table looking at her expectantly.

"I- Well, I just moved here over winter break, so I-"

"So _you're_ the new girl I've heard about all morning? Malia, you yelled at this girl?" she interrupted, twisting to look at Malia with a raised eyebrow.

Malia groaned, tilting her head back and ignoring the skinny boy's laughter next to her. Even Genie had to grin at the gross misinformation that gossip had brought about. "I swear to God, I didn't yell at her. Genie, tell them I didn't yell at you!" Malia hissed, smacking her palms against the table. Genie let out a quiet, nervous laugh, shaking her head and turning to see the other girl taking a seat next to her with a conspiratorial smile in her direction. Suddenly, Genie had gone from finally finding a little peace by herself for the first time that day, to being surrounded again. The girl beside her folded her hands primly under her chin, nodding seriously when Malia began to defend herself.

"She's really anxious. I think there's something wrong with her," she said easily, shrugging at the exasperated look Genie shot her. "What? I do."

"Something wrong with her or something _wrong_ with her?" the skinny boy asked, arms moving with little coordination to gesticulate at the second 'wrong.' Malia raised an eyebrow, biting at the end of her pen and tilting her head as she seemed to try and puzzle out the meaning behind his words.

That uncomfortable thrum of anxiety that had become almost ignorable within the last hour was starting to hit her again as she watching the group around her converse, she herself right at the middle of all the banter. Malia was much more socially stunted than she had let in on. Genie clenched her hands in her cardigan as she waited for an opening to leave with as little consequence as possible. Malia and the skinny boy continued to bicker, however, until the final person in their group spoke up.

"Guys! I think you're literally going to make her sick," the boy spoke, a light laugh at the end of his statement as he shifted his focus to Genie. She sucked in a breath, sitting up straighter as he smiled warmly at her. It was just enough to break the tension that she could smile back shyly. "I'm Scott. That's Stiles, and this is Lydia. Malia said your name was…?"

He trailed off, gesturing towards her to let her speak. She took in a breath and smiled unsurely again. "Genie. My name is Genie."

"Genie? Like the magical being that is trapped in a bottle until you rub it three times?" Stiles asked, his voice incredulous as he stared Genie down. The way she slumped backwards in her seat made it seem as if she was trying to collapse inwards on herself. She raised a hand to brush a stray curl from her face and placed it against her cheek, feeling the heat under her palm. A muffled thump made her look back up to see Stiles rubbing the back of his head with a wince, staring at Scott in disbelief.

"Ignore Stiles. Tell me about where bought that cardigan," Lydia cut in, smiling a little more gently than she had the first time. Genie thumbed at the fabric for a moment, trying to remember.

"I, uh… I think my mom got it for me? Probably somewhere in New York," she replied quietly, noticing the glitter of excitement in Lydia's eyes.

"In New York as in visiting or living there?"

"We lived there for just over a year, but not on Manhattan. Just off the island. My mom worked in the city though."

"That's fascinating. I've decided we're going to be friends," she stated abruptly, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms. Genie blinked owlishly at her, face caught somewhere between terrified and relieved. She didn't know quite whether she was supposed to smile or run away, so she glanced to the other end of the table quickly to see the reactions of the others. Stiles was the only one reacting beyond a smile, choosing instead to stare at Lydia like she had grown a second head and three sets of horns. When he caught Genie's eye, he shot her a sarcastic grin and a thumbs up.

Genie looked back at Lydia, watching as the redhead looked at the other three, daring them to speak up. At seeing Stiles's face, she raised an eyebrow and snapped, "What? I would like a normal friend, one I can talk to about normal things."

Looking truly disgruntled for the first time since sitting down, Scott sat up straighter to level Lydia with a look. "Malia and Kira are _very_ normal," he objected.

"If by normal you mean- I mean, Malia isn't normal, can we be real about that?" Lydia challenged, gesturing at the girl who had a pencil wedged behind her canines as she clutched a large eraser and started furiously erasing nearly half a page worth of writing. A hole tore right in the middle. She looked up at Lydia and blinked stoically in what Genie could only read as resigned agreement before looking back at her work. "And Kira- Well, yes, Kira is normal, but Genie is _normal_."

Stiles rolled his eyes, leaning back farther in his seat and throwing up his hands in defeat. With a small smirk, Lydia turned back to Genie triumphantly. Genie herself was confused, grasping at the straws of what she had just missed during the course of the conversation and coming up blank. By the time she got her wits about her enough to say anything, it seemed that Lydia already had a course mapped out for the beginning of their friendship.

"Tomorrow, I'm taking you shopping, okay? We'll talk details tomorrow, here. I'm guessing you have study? I don't know if you're in any of my classes yet. Let me see your schedule," she demanded, holding out her hand expectantly. Genie scrambled to unzip her backpack and pull out the crumbled sheet, grimacing at the measured tears along the right side. She hadn't been able to keep her hands still in her second period, choosing instead to tear notches into the edge of the paper for part of the period. Lydia snatched the paper from her hand, eyes scanning the sheet quickly before she looked back up at Genie in surprise. "You're a sophomore?"

Genie nodded, trying to think of anything to say when Malia cut in again. "By the way, we've got sophomore English together. My reading level is still too low for the junior class despite the tutoring, so that's happening," she said, her shoulders dropping down as she her nose scrunched up in annoyance.

"You haven't been in school for years. The fact that you're already up to high school levels is very impressive. You'll get there," Stiles reassured her, reaching out a hand to squeeze the one that was clenched tightly around her eraser. The girl barely acknowledged his words before bending over her sad looking paper and scribbling at it in angry, aborted strokes. Another hole tore with a spectacular flourish of her pen. Stiles tore a piece of paper from his own notebook and handed it over without even looking up.

A fluttering noise drew Genie's attention back to Lydia, the girl handing back her schedule with a smile. "Well, we don't have any classes, but we have study together, and it looks like we have the same lunch too. You'll sit with us," she said breezily, turning to pull her own work out from her bag.

"She will?" came Stiles's irritated protest.

There was a tense moment of silence as Genie looked at her hands, shredding the edges of her schedule again and dreading the arrival of lunch. If this was the atmosphere she was getting herself into, she'd rather sit alone. Her fingers trembled as the quiet stretched until finally a huff sounded from the other end of the table.

"Oka- Yup, yes, I was wrong to even ask. She will, of course."

* * *

A/N: I would appreciate any and all feedback, as well as suggestions, comments, whatever. (Friendship is also totally cool. I'd love to be friends.) If someone would want to beta, that'd be cool too. Really, just tell me things and I'll probably get excited you're reading at all.


	3. Spotlight

Never in Genie's entire life had she met someone so possessed of self as Lydia Martin. There was something reassuring about how in-tune with herself the girl was, never missing a step as she strutted down the hallway and knowing that she was the center of attention. Genie squirmed at the sudden spotlight caused by simply following in Lydia's wake, her eyes flitting nervously at the people who parted towards the lockers on either side as their group shuffled past. She couldn't understand how Lydia was so comfortable center stage when Genie herself was so uncomfortable being in the wings. Truly, she'd rather not even be in the theater, but high school waited for no one. It would just be nice if no one knew who she was and she could breathe again without feeling like she was going to spontaneously combust.

Stiles bounded past her to catch up with Lydia, talking in a hushed whisper and glancing back at Genie uneasily. She averted her eyes, looking down at her cream colored tee under her cardigan and tuning out the increase of whispers. Obviously, she had made a severe miscalculation when thinking Malia was the right kind of person to have as a friend. When the girl had told her she was socially handicapped, she had taken that as a sign that she would be safely on the sidelines at school. She had been very, _very_ wrong. Despite her best efforts, Genie realized, she had inadvertently joined what seemed to be the most popular group in school.

"Shit, shit, shit," she muttered, hands tightening around the strap of her backpack over her shoulder until her knuckles turned white from the pressure.

"Everything okay?"

Genie's head whipped to her left, met only with dark, concerned eyes and a contemplative stare from Scott. Instead of answering right away, she turned to look ahead of them again, watching as Stiles continued to whisper and then gesture in her direction. His efforts seemed to be blocked by a brick wall, his words falling on deaf ears as Lydia continued to lead the group towards the cafeteria. Glancing back over at Scott, Genie gave an uncomfortable half-smile, looking more like a grimace as she squared her shoulders and gathered herself.

"I, uh… Look, I really don't have to eat with you guys. It wouldn't be a big deal, really. It'd be cool if-"

"Hey, hey, hey," Scott cut in, stopping in his tracks and reaching out a hand to stop Genie by her elbow. Just in front of them, Malia turned and waited as well. The other two kept walking. Scott's eyebrows furrowed and his mouth turned down in confusion. "What're you talking about?"

Stalling, Genie looked down at her shoes and pulled her arm gently away from Scott's grasp. She barely saw the small nod he sent Malia, but the girl's brown boots stepped away from her own black flats. When Scott continued to stand there after the warning bell for the period rang, she looked up again. Her face was a bit flushed from her anxiety and her hands continued to wring at her backpack strap, but she worked up the nerve to continue what she had been saying.

"I appreciate you guys talking to me, and sitting with me, and inviting me to do things, but it's really okay. I don't… I don't really do well socially. I just get really anxious. I know I'm awkward and quiet and fidgety, and it's completely okay if I don't have lunch with-"

"Stiles once walked around for an entire day asking people why gay men didn't find him attractive. Our friend Danny, my mom, strangers. You don't have to worry about being awkward, or quiet, or fidgety. Trust me, you're fine," he confided, reaching out to settle a hand on Genie's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. She relaxed slightly into the friendly touch, letting out a breath she didn't realize she had been bottling up. When he gave her a wide smile and another quick clap on the shoulder, she let a small smile of her own match his. Scott seemed to take that as acceptance, and pushed her towards the door of the cafeteria with one last piece of wisdom.

"Besides, no one says no to Lydia Martin."

"Noted," she mumbled, a corner of her mouth staying quirked as she walked through the doors, Scott guiding her through the tables to meet the others. There was one more person sitting with them that hadn't been there at during the free period, her face split in an unsure grin up at Scott as she approached the table. Her eyes flickered to Genie for a moment before settling back on Scott as he pulled out the chair next to her to sit down. Left floundering for a moment, Genie bit down on her lower lip as she hesitated just outside their circle, watching as Malia looked up at her in confusion before pulling out the chair next to her with little poise.

With a wince at the screech of metal across linoleum, Genie took a seat and dropped her bag at her feet, eyes scanning over the cafeteria for a moment before settling back on the girl she hadn't met. She was turned towards Scott, leaning close to talk in his ear, until she pulled away and faced Genie in turn.

"Hi! I'm Kira. Scott said your name is Genie, right?" she asked, smiling and glancing up at the others at the table for confirmation.

Genie nodded, her lips pulling into a tight smile as she saw Stiles dig into his food grumpily without a word. "Yeah, yes. That's- I, uh- Well, Lydia said I could sit with you guys for the day, so I hope that's alright," she replied, her voice raising to be just above the natural hum of the room.

There was hardly any hesitation when Kira's face widened into a full smile, her eyes crinkling as she leaned into Scott's side. "Of course it's alright. Why wouldn't it be?"

Another smile spread across Genie's face, her cheeks warming at the welcome. Leaning over to her bag, she listened quietly as the group began to talk amongst themselves. Lydia tried to explain a math problem over Genie's head to Malia with little luck, and Scott insisted to Stiles that Derek was okay since the incident days prior. Genie let the din around her become white noise as she pulled out a plastic baggie of carrots and began to munch on them as quietly as possible.

It had taken Genie a while to eat anywhere but a bathroom stall in her previous high school, her nerves of starting at new school only amplified by the fact that she had been the lowest of the low on the social food chain. She had been new to the town to begin with, not to mention starting as a freshman at Jefferson High School. The students were generally a little more well-off financially, something Genie herself was no stranger to, but collectively the student body was a monster of a being. For months, she had felt unwelcome in the halls, shuffling past crowds of people with her head ducked low, until she was no longer barely scraping along without a friend. A transfer student halfway through the year, Emily, was friendly enough to give her a little confidence. They were both incredibly shy, but it was something just to have someone to sit with in the cafeteria during lunch. She had been Genie's only real friend at Jefferson, though they weren't particularly close. Genie missed her all the same, and hoped she was doing well after the accident she'd had at the end of last year. Unfortunately, Genie's mom's job had just finished up its project in New York, and their family was packing up and leaving before Genie could even wrap her head around everything that had happened.

Violent coughing startled Genie from her memories, the girl shaking her head to clear her mind and looking towards Stiles. He was leaning over the table as he tried to clear his throat. His eyes, however, were locked on the cafeteria doors, watching intently as a tall figure ducked into the room and looked around uncertainly. The rest of the table looked at Stiles in concern, Malia slamming her hand against his back as he tried to wave off her aggressive tactics to helping him breathe. Still struggling to speak, he widened his eyes dramatically and looked back and forth between the table and the blonde at the door, urging the rest to do the same.

"Oh my God, it's Isaac," Lydia whispered, her hand clenching around the notebook she had been about to hand Malia. She retracted her hand and clutched the book reflexively to her chest. Taking in a quick breath, Genie sat up a little straighter, swallowing a chunk of carrot too quickly and feeling her eyes water at the burn.

"Who's Isaac?" she asked Lydia quietly, clearing her throat and rubbing at her neck as Scott stood to walk over to the boy. Lydia glanced at her quickly, shaking her head in a signal that now wasn't the time to talk about it as she watched the interaction by the door intently. The boy ducked his head a little when Scott drew near him, wary looking eyes watching him carefully. Apparently Scott didn't care for the look, shaking his head and drawing the boy into a quick, one-armed hug. Scott jerked his head in the direction of the table, waiting until the taller boy seemed to acquiesce to his suggestion to start moving back towards them all. Genie watched it all with rapt attention, unable to take her eyes off of the situation despite the obvious livewire now running through the table.

Lydia stood up when the two boys reached them, walking around to the other side and rocking up on her toes to press a small kiss against the blonde boy's and hug him. He returned the gesture only half-heartedly, the smile not quite reaching his eyes and only causing a twitch in his lips. Kira opted only to hug him before making way for Stiles to clap a hand against his back. Instead of getting up to greet him, Malia opted to give him a distracted salute and turn back to her homework quickly. An uncomfortable silence enveloped the table once everyone was settled back in their seats.

Her eyes only stayed focused on the new boy, Isaac, for a moment before she felt her face go warm in discomfort. Genie looked back down at her carrots while Isaac was riffling to grab food from his bag, avoiding introducing herself for as long as possible. Luckily, Stiles spoke up to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"How was, uh… How was France?" he asked, his voice pitched a little higher than it had been in the library. Another awkward pause ensued before the blonde cleared his throat to respond.

"Cold. Who knew that France could be cold in winter? Well, Chris knew, but I wasn't exactly prepared for the trip," he said, the chuckle at the end of his sentence sounding hollow and barely there.

Stiles let out an amused huff. "I bet you were plenty prepared, what with all of your fashionable scarves."

The laugh that Isaac let out was a little more humorous the second time, the collective mood of the table lifting with it. Genie felt comfortable enough to start gnawing at another carrot, leaning back in her seat a little. Her eyes lifted to see Isaac staring at her with an eyebrow quirked, her shoulders rising almost defensively against the look he was giving her. She fisted a hand in her cardigan, curling her fingers into the fabric tensely until Isaac looked away as Scott began to speak.

"So, did Mr. Argent get any of my messages? I've been trying to keep him updated with everything that's been happening, but he hasn't really been responding," Scott said, worrying the inside of his cheek with his teeth before taking a bite of his sandwich. Isaac shook his head a little, looking back down at the apple in his hand.

"I don't really know. He didn't tell me anything. He's just- He's taking some more time for himself."

 _'How strange this all is,'_ Genie thought, eyes flitting from person to person quickly. There was an unspoken tension she hadn't seen in the previous period, accented by the sadness in Scott and Isaac's eyes most particularly. Lydia was much quieter than she had been in the library, choosing to eat and write neatly in her notebook instead of continue to help Malia with her work. Kira, by Scott's side, wouldn't look up from her hands. Even Malia seemed more reserved, speaking in hushed tones to Stiles, who sat on her other side. Though the tension had been relieved slightly by Stiles's humor, there was an underlying current of unsettling emotion that curled deep in Genie's stomach and set her on edge. Without a word, she sealed up her bag of carrots, only half eaten, and turned instead to taking small sips of her water, trying to push down the sudden nausea hitting her.

"Okay, seriously Genie, do you have some kind of condition?" Malia questioned, looking up from her worksheet suddenly and turning towards the girl in question. Her eyes were squinted as she pointed at Genie with her pencil before starting to chew on the eraser end.

She could feel her face heat up, glancing at the rest of the table, noting how everyone was looking at her expectantly. It seemed as if the whole cafeteria grew louder, her head throbbing with the sudden noise. The anxiety sent a tremor through her, her hands shaking as she fisted them tighter in her cardigan. "No. No, I don't have a- No conditions," Genie stuttered out, voice a little rougher as she tried to keep herself from frowning too severely. The girl didn't look convinced. A cursory glance at the rest of the table told her they weren't either. Genie let out a nervous breath, leaning back in her chair and feeling her face heat up as she stared fixedly at her water bottle on the table.

"She's fine, you guys," Scott added, a tone of authority in his voice. When Genie looked up, she saw him staring everyone into submission before turning to shoot her a friendly smile. She smiled back what little she could and slumped in her seat, breathing out a sigh and taking another swig from her water bottle.

The idle chatter that had started up just before Isaac had arrived resurfaced with Scott's encouragement, the group talking about how their classes were going after break and what events they were excited for coming up. Scott and Stiles started raving about the upcoming lacrosse try-outs.

"No, seriously, Scott. You're going to get co-captain again, and I'm going to get first line, and Isaac is going to get first line, and it's going to be great. We're going to tear that field apart and-"

"I'm not trying out this season," Isaac interjected in a measured voice, taking a quick bite of his apple when he was fixed with baffled stares. The girls all kept their eyes down, not willing to push the subject, but Stiles wouldn't stop gaping.

"No, no, no, Isaac. C'mon. You've got to try out. It'll be awesome," he insisted, leaning back in his chair and spreading out his arms as if explaining it in the first place was an insult to his intelligence. Issac shrugged and scrunched his nose before settling his face back to neutral, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. "Seriously? Scott, c'mon, tell him."

Scott pulled a face, eyebrows rising and eyes wide as he opened and closed his mouth quickly, attempting to speak but unable to get out any words. With a huff, Stiles turned to the rest of the table, gesturing wildly towards Isaac, but no one else spoke up. In a fit of disappointment, he collapsed backward in his chair, stopping only to shove a handful of chips in his mouth. Isaac smiled tensely, lips pulled too far sideways and not enough upwards, as he looked away from his apple and over at Genie. He raised his eyebrow again, biting a large chunk out of the apple as he stared her down. No one else seemed to notice, all wrapped up in their own smaller conversations or homework. Genie smiled in response, her tense smile matching his own, and looked down. Her eyes remained trained on her lap for the rest of the lunch period.

When the bell rang for the next period, Genie stood with the rest of the group, promising Lydia quietly that they would talk the next day during the free period before lunch. Lydia smiled brightly, reminding Genie she was also stealing her away to go shopping after school tomorrow as well. With a nod, Genie turned to head down the hall to her next class, letting herself relax a little more in the sea of currently nameless faces. Pulling her schedule form her pocket, she glanced over the crumpled words to see that her U.S. Government and Economics class was only a few rooms down, so Genie slowed her pace. Her eyes stayed fixed on the floor just in front of her shoes as she wove her way through the crowd. Another pair joined hers, walking at the same leisurely pace by her side, the boots scuffing just a little against the ground. When she reached the door to her classroom, she paused to look up at her companion.

Isaac didn't say a word, choosing instead to raise a hand and gesture for Genie to walk in first. With a hesitant nod, she stepped ahead of him and towards the front desk to speak to the teacher. Despite the routine of introduction and textbook acquisition, she still felt her cheeks flush a little and that nervous tremble in her fingers return. Clutching her new book to her chest, she turned and made her way to the back of the room, noting that Isaac already sat in the back row. He tilted his head to the seat next to him, and Genie froze to consider for just a moment before slipping into the desk at his side. She'd hardly had a moment to settle herself when she saw Isaac lean to the side of the desk and towards her.

"So, uh…" he began, gesturing at her expectantly.

Slipping her bag off her shoulder, Genie turned to look at the boy and his seemingly perpetually raised eyebrow. She pursed her lips a moment, willing herself not to get more anxious than she already was. "Genie," she replied, her voice a little high and uncomfortable as she shifted in her seat to steady herself. Her lips raised in a half-hearted smile and she went to turn away, but Isaac was already speaking again.

"Who let you out of the lamp?" he asked, smirking a little as he leaned closer across the aisle. Even that expression was lacking something, some fundamental joy that making a joke about being a supernatural creature should have.

Genie gave a mirthless laugh in return before settling with shooting him a more sincere smile as the bell rang. Leaning on her hand away from him, she felt the heat creep into her cheeks just a little more. Isaac leaned over to tap her arm twice, a gentle call for her attention, as the teacher began to pull up a documentary on the computer.

"I'm Isaac. I guess I'll be seeing you around?"

"Well, it seems we have class together… so I would think so," she whispered back, glancing up at the teacher and back again as the lights dimmed. A small, uncertain smile flitted across Isaac's lips as he leaned away and sank into his seat. The teacher, Mr. Ryan, passed back worksheets to be filled out regarding the documentary. Genie crinkled the paper under her fingers and let out a relieved breath.

 _'One more class after this, and I'm done,'_ she thought. ' _Day one, almost over.'_

* * *

A/N: Thanks so much for the feedback, you guys! I'm happy that you guys seem to like it. I understand that there's a lot of character building going on, but some important information about Genie as well as the plot will be revealed in the next few chapters. We've got Isaac back in the mix now, so I'm excited to work with how he's going to contribute to both the S4 plot as well as Genie's own storyline. Comments and suggestions are always welcome, and I really appreciate any little word. It means the world.

Also just quick logistics note: these few chapters take place between 117 and muted, so it's before the try-outs and everything with the Wendigos, but after baby Derek's appearance.


	4. Follow My Instructions

Beacon Hills was a lot prettier than she had given it credit for. Granted, most of Genie's first few days were spent inside trying to help organize the house, but she was making up for that by walking home after school so she could get more acquainted with the town. Her house was close enough, just a fifteen minute walk, so she took her time, winding her way through backstreets and getting herself thoroughly lost in her new home.

By the time she was walking down her own street, it had been over an hour since school had ended and the chill in the air was making her nose run a little. She bounded up the steps, pulling out her key and fumbling to get it in the lock before pushing her way inside. The house was toasty and warm, if not a little bit of a stranger to her still. It was slightly older, but the entire chunk of the town they lived in was the same. Each step made the floorboards creek; the walls were cream colored and waiting to be painted; the banister's rich wood gleamed with a new polished shine. None of their pictures had made it out of the boxes yet to adorn the mantel over the fireplace, or the walls, but they would in time. It was impersonal and bare, but Genie was sure her mother planned to fix that in the coming week.

"Is that my peanut?" a booming voice called through the halls. Genie laughed, throwing her head back and dropping her bag and coat on a box near the door. She slipped off her shoes and padded down the hall, smiling widely as she rounded the corner and poked her head through the doorway into her dad's study. Her father was older than her mother by a few years, his sandy blonde hair peppering where her mother's was still a rich dark brown. His face was worn from smiles and laughter, but not grief. Marcus Cary had lived a life of travel and sunshine as a teenager, choosing not to go to college and instead travel the west coast writing. That writing, an absentminded activity, turned into his life's passion. He was comfortable almost anywhere, as long as he had a pen, some paper, and his family by his side.

"It is my peanut!" he cried, dropping his pen and standing up from the chair shoved behind his desk. The grin on his face grew as he huddled her close, rocking them from side to side and squeezing her tight. "How was your first day? Did you make lots of friends? Do you hate any teachers yet or is it too early for that?"

Genie pulled back from his hold, shoving his shoulder so he would go back to his seat and curling herself up on the floor by his feet with a laugh. She rested her head against the outside of his thigh, humming contently when he stroked her brown hair out of her face.

"It was, surprisingly… good," she admitted, pressing her face against his slacks as he practically crowed in excitement. She couldn't help but be happy around him, laughing easily as he nearly bounced in his seat.

"Well, now you've got to tell me everything. I think that's the first time I've ever heard you use the word good about a first day at school, Genie!" he joked. Genie rolled her eyes, hearing the pattering of smaller feet coming her way. Her little brother Paul burst into the room with a bound before flinging himself at Genie with a high-pitched screech.

Rolling back and away from her father, Genie lifted the little boy into the air with her hands and feet, tickling under his armpits until he collapsed in her hold. She pushed herself back upright, keeping her brother curled in her arms as she brushed his blonde bangs from his face. Paul was a near replica of their father in his coloring and features, but he shared the same tiny frame as Genie and her mother. Her older brother, Julien, had her mother's complexion, but her father's face and frame. Genie herself looked almost identical to her mother. Old photos of her mother as a teenager had astounded her when she had first found them, as they could almost pass for photos of herself.

"Of course, dad. But first, I want to hear all about this man's day," Genie compromised, tickling her brother again as he squirmed in her arms and shrieked with laughter. When he finally broke free, he clambered up into their father's lap and turned to Genie with wild, excited green eyes.

"My teacher, Ms. Hickerson, is awesome! Her classroom is really colorful, and there's a rug at the back with all these books, and at recess I drew Pokemon with my friend Will!" he gushed, wiggling when his excitement couldn't be contained anymore. He dropped from their father's lap and sprinted out of the room. Paul had always been the rambunctious child, his energy unbound and like a wildfire in intensity. Her older brother was nearly the same way as a child, but had mellowed when he reached high school. She had never had the same intensity as her brothers, always a little more subdued than the boys, but their enthusiasm was infectious and she found herself being dragged into their fun more often than not.

Genie let out a quiet snort, brushing herself as she stood and sat on an unoccupied edge of her father's desk. Her father gave a quick squeeze to her knee before leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest, smirking at the happy look on her face.

"It was good. I mean, I was really nervous most of the day, and I don't even want to think about going back tomorrow yet, but it was good," she said, tilting her head and grinning as her hair fell over her face.

"C'mon, give me more than that! I'm reliving my youth vicariously through you," her father teased with a grin. Paul came rushing back into the room, shoving a handful of papers at Genie to look at.

"See, see! Look at all the Pokemon I drew, Genie!" he demanded, mouth opening in a wide grin and showing the gaps where he had lost teeth. Genie took the papers with a giggle, rifling through them and praising his skills. She picked out one in particular, a drawing of Wailord, and holding it up for him to see.

"Paul, this one is so good! I love how you colored it," she beamed, holding it away from herself so she could look at it again. Paul bounced in place, unable to stop smiling at his sister's reaction.

"You really think so? You keep it!"

With a gasp, Genie hopped off the table to gather her brother up in her arms and spin him around. He giggled uncontrollably, their father's laugh booming in tandem. "Oh, really Paul? Thank you so, so much! I'm going to hang it in my room!"

He grabbed the rest of the papers, flying out of the room with a triumphant cry and disappearing with loud thumps up the stairs to his room. Genie smiled, her cheeks aching with the sudden inescapable happiness. Her father groaned, pulling her closer to sit on the desk again and goading her to talk more.

"Okay, okay! Well, there was a girl in my first period who seemed nice. She's a little blunt- oh, her name is Malia- and we didn't talk much, but that was fine. I didn't really talk to anyone all day-"

"Genie," he groaned, throwing his head back and frowning.

"You didn't let me finish!" she bit out, kicking at his calf before continuing. "Anyway, I had a free period in the library, and Malia was there too, but she had these other people with her, so I felt kind of awkward-"

"Meaning you wanted to hurl," her father substituted, hissing when she hit him again to get him to go quiet.

"But they all sat down at my table and the other girl, Lydia, wants to be friends. She's really popular though. Like, it was scary even walking with her to lunch and I thought I was going to have a panic attack and-"

"You went to lunch with her?" he exclaimed, beaming up at her suddenly as she rolled her eyes and sighed, but feeling her cheeks go red all the same. "You went to lunch on your first day? You had such a hard time at Jefferson, peanut, and your mother and I were so worried about you this morning. She said you looked like you were going to faint. This is great!"

Genie squirmed a little, a tiny proud smile flitting across her lips. It wasn't news to her that her parents worried about her. Moving had always been hard on her growing up. When she was little, she would get so attached to people that when it came time to move it was like ripping out a piece of her heart. As she grew older, she tried to seclude herself a little more, choosing to only get attached loosely, just enough to fit in and make it through school unscathed. Being able to settle in a little quicker, make friends a little faster, was a huge step for her.

"Lydia pretty much forced me, dad. You don't say no to that girl. I almost bailed, but this guy Scott told me it would be fine and that I didn't have to worry about anything," she explained, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees as she continued to talk. "He's really nice. I don't think his friend Stiles likes me very much, and I didn't talk much to the girl next to him, Kira, either. Their friend Isaac was nice too, and we have a class together after lunch."

Her father almost looked like he was about to start crying. "Oh, I'm so proud of you, peanut. That's a lot for you to take in!"

Shrugging a little uncomfortably, Genie sat up straighter and pulled at her hair, tying it into a messy bun low against her neck. "It was a lot. I'm a little worried about trying to actually- I don't know- become friends with them. I get so nervous. Everyone was really nice, though. I-" Genie cut herself off, blushing and curling her hands into her cardigan. "I hope it works out. It'd be fun- I mean, it'd be nice to just- I don't know."

"Have a group? Like a real, hang out on the weekends, have sleepovers, hide things from your parents group?" her father guessed, leaning forward so he could pat her cheek. She breathed out, unable to stop a wry chuckle at the last category her father had said. Her parents knew everything about her. What would she hide from them?

"Yeah, dad. A group," she agreed with a hesitant smile. He grinned back at her in full, standing up and pulling her into another bear hug.

"Aw, peanut. I love you," he breathed, squeezing her tightly against his chest. Genie hummed, curling into him with a peaceful smile.

"I love you too, dad," she whispered, pulling back a little to look up at him. He smiled, pushing her away and swatting her out towards the common room. They spent the rest of the day organizing what they could of the downstairs.

ooo

The next day passed in a blur, including some of Lydia's forced shopping adventure. After a few hours of circling around the mall, trying on countless outfits, and people watching, Genie admitted to herself that Lydia, despite being a force of nature, was a good person for her to be around. It was surprising how much more relaxed she had felt around Lydia during their shopping trip. She forced Genie to talk, quizzing her about her life traveling around as well as her family and interests the entire trip. Genie didn't ask many questions in return, still too cautious to pop the unstable bubble that was surrounding her newly-formed friendship. Something had happened to the group of friends, that much she could figure out from the uncomfortable silences and the vague phrasing of the past semester, but she chose not to force the topic.

"So," Lydia drawled, side-eyeing Genie as she drove her home. There was a small, almost devilish smirk on her face. Genie felt herself go suddenly rigid at the change of tone. With a waggle of her eyebrows, Lydia continued. "Anyone you have your eyes on?"

Genie slumped in her seat, rolling her eyes and turning to look out the window with a huff. Lydia squawked, stopping the car abruptly on the side of the road and turning to face her. When Genie looked back at her, there was a glitter in her eyes that unnerved her.

"You do! There's someone you like! Tell me who it is, so I can tell you if you're allowed to date them. I need to preserve the reputation we're slowly building for you, so you can only date the best. Are they a sophomore? Or is it junior, maybe someone I know?" she teased.

"Lydia, oh God, please stop!" Genie begged, her face a mixture of disgust and amusement. Lydia frowned and crossed her arms, giving Genie a determined look. "Seriously, there's no one. I can hardly even make friends, Lydia. If you think I'm even going to be interested in someone and try something, you're crazy."

With a sigh, Lydia reached out to clamp a hand down on Genie's shoulder and fix her with a kind smile, a striking difference from the teasing looks she had been giving. "You've made plenty of friends," she said, her lips pulling up even more.

"It's been a day. I can barely even look at some of the people at lunch without feeling like I'm going to have a panic attack," Genie countered, grumbling and sliding down in the seat even more. She was hardly sitting anymore, looking up at Lydia pathetically as the girl raised an eyebrow at her. Lydia rolled her eyes and motioned for her to sit up, which she did with a frown. Curling her hands together, Genie took a deep breath and looked out the window at the fading light, watching as a few stars began to try and poke their way through the hazy twilight sky.

"Well, you're _my_ friend now, which means that you'll _their_ friend soon enough. If it takes a little time, then that's okay," Lydia assured her. Genie could only sigh tiredly again, leaning forward to put her head in her hands as she began to mumble quietly, a blush rising on her pale cheeks.

"I can count the number of friends I've had in the past two years on one hand, Lydia," she confided, her voice a little breathy with the admission. "I don't even know where to start. I think Stiles already hates me. Kira's nice, but she's attached to Scott, and Scott is great, but he's attached to Kira. Malia is a little rough around the edges, but she's also obviously close with Stiles. Isaac doesn't really _talk_. You guys are all so close, like really, really close and I don't want to intrude on that. I don't want to mess up the balance or anything-"

A frustrated scoff interrupted her rambling and she looked up at Lydia, sitting back in her seat as her shoulders dropped. "You're not going to mess up the balance, for God's sake. That's a little dramatic," Lydia interrupted, tossing her strawberry blonde curls over her shoulder with a huff. "Look, do you want my advice on where to start?" Genie nodded hesitantly, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth. "You're going to start with one person. Start by making a concentrated effort to be friends with one person, other than me."

Blinking at her slowly, Genie took in a deep breath and nodded again. "Who do you think- I mean, Stiles would probably ignore me, so not him, right? And does that mean I should stay away from Malia?" she asked nervously, looking down at her hands as she picked at her nails. Lydia let out a sigh beside her and reached over to pull her hands apart.

"Don't worry about Stiles not liking you. He'll come around. He's a bit wary of newcomers is all. Once he decides you're worth it, he's never going to leave you alone," Lydia remarked, a small, sincere smile on her face. Her eyes seemed a little distant, as if she was stuck somewhere else for a moment. With a deep breath, she focused back on Genie and kept talking. "Malia doesn't care what other people think, so there's no harm is continuing to try with her. She liked you enough to sit us down at your table in the library, so I think you're golden."

Genie groaned, leaning back and covering her eyes with her hands, rubbing her palms over her closed eyelids. "Lydia, how the hell am I supposed to do this? I feel nauseous even talking about it," she complained, dragging her hands down her face. Lydia fixed her with an unimpressed stare, one eyebrow raised.

"You're being melodramatic."

"I am not!" Genie protested, sitting up straighter. She blushed when she realized how her voice at surged up a little in volume, her answer an automatic outburst instead of a calculated response. "I don't know how to do friends, Lydia. I don't."

"You're doing it right now!" Lydia cried back, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. She still looked unconvinced. When Scott had said that no one said no to Lydia Martin, he was right. The girl wasn't giving Genie any wiggle room. She had decided the day before that she was going to be Genie's friend, and so was everyone else in the group. "Literally, this is friendship. I tell you what is best for you, you deny me, I tell you you're an idiot and that you're going to be fine if you just follow my instructions."

With a grumble, Genie turned to look out the window again. She breathed in slowly, trying to calm the small wave of nervousness that had built up over the course of the conversation. Her eyes stayed trained on the row of houses down the street they were parked, watching as porch lights were flipped on in silence and the sky became darker. The car still didn't move, however. Genie could bet that Lydia wouldn't move the damn car until she agreed with everything the bubbly girl said.

"Well then, what are my instructions?" she asked begrudgingly, narrowing her eyes at Lydia as she turned her head to stare at her. The girl grinned triumphantly, leaning towards Genie with that mischievous sparkle back in her eyes.

"Lacrosse try-outs."

* * *

A/N: As always, comments and suggestions and anything are welcome and appreciated. (Special shoutouts to cecld16 and gyunikim for their reviews and for generally being sweethearts.) ^^


	5. Here, Somewhere

"I hear you're going to lacrosse try-outs. Soon, you're going to be the queen of school spirit. Our little sophomore is growing up so fast."

With a roll of her eyes, Genie leaned forward to smack her forehead against the cool metal of her locker with a satisfying rattle. Quiet laughter came from Isaac beside her and her face flushed as she turned to shoot him a small glare before continuing to pack up her bag for the day. Isaac was leaning on the locker next to her, a self-satisfied smirk settled across his lips. Closing her locker with a bang, Genie straightened up and squared her shoulders, walking pointedly away from the boy without a word.

"Oh, c'mon. I'm kidding," he called, jogging to catch up to her and match her pace. She glanced at him, eyes narrowing in suspicion as he painted an innocent look on his face. His eyes widen a little, his lower lip jutting out. Genie rolled her eyes and slowed her pace so she wasn't rushing to get away from him anymore. "So, are you going because you want to check someone out or-"

She halted in the middle of the hallways, shooting him an exasperated look as she clenched a hand around her backpack strap. Isaac shrugged, trying to look innocent again and doing a horrible job as he failed to hold in a laugh. There was something very strange about Isaac Lahey, but Genie couldn't quite put her finger on it. Something had happened first semester, she gathered. Whatever it was, it had affected the whole group, but Isaac and Scott and Lydia seemed the most wrecked by it, for lack of a better word. Lydia had looked almost horrified when Isaac had shown up in the cafeteria the first day. Genie didn't want to pry, not when none of the happiness or humor that Isaac spewed reached his eyes, and not when he looked ready to fall apart at a single word.

"I mean, that's why most girls go to lacrosse try-outs, okay? I just don't understand why you're going, because _obviously_ you'd just be going to check out _me_ , but I'm not trying out, so- Wait, come back!"

Genie groaned as she turned away from him and continued down the hall, trying to slow her breathing a little as she quickened her pace when she heard feet following her again. He caught up to her easily, matching her step for step as she steadfastly refused to look at him. The silence grew to an uncomfortable length between them until they reached the doors outside.

"Sorry. Force of habit," Isaac mumbled, going quiet as they walked out. With a glance, Genie noticed the sudden vacancy in his eyes, a hollowness settling on his face. She let out a small sigh, nodding her head to herself and pulling her coat a little more securely around her.

The day before, Lydia had told her to single out a person to be her friend, and Genie had spent nearly all night distracted as she tried to figure out who to work on. She had made lists, scribbled down notes of what she knew about people and how she thought they would react and how it would benefit her in the long run. In the end, she still hadn't had an answer. Walking next to Isaac, however, seemed to settle her into a decision.

"I suppose… everyone has their habits. It's okay," she replied softly, shooting him a small smile. He didn't respond for a moment, choosing to stare at her blankly before smiling a little himself.

"What about you?"

With a faint blush, she nodded and looked down at her feet. "Even me, the stunning picture of social grace that I am," she said quietly, a hint of bitterness tingeing her voice. Isaac let out a snort, looking ahead towards the bleachers.

"You're not doing as bad as you think," he confided. It was Genie's turn to snort, her hand shooting up to her face to cover her mouth and her eyes raising to look at Isaac. Isaac only laughed, amusement clear on his face. Her embarrassment grew as she continued on silently, trying to quicken her pace and pretend she didn't exist. She was cut off by the bleachers, Isaac stepping in front of her to face her. "I'm serious."

She stared at him doubtfully for a moment before looking back down at her feet and nodding just barely. The look on his face was earnest, but Genie was beyond convinced of her social ineptitude. It seemed Isaac chose to let the subject drop. Without another word, he tugged on her backpack strap to lead her forward and around to the front of the bleachers. Kira waved them over, a large smile on her face.

"Hey Isaac, hi Genie. Lydia told me you were coming to the try-outs today. You'll sit with us, right?" Kira asked quickly, her smile stretched a little wider than was necessary. Genie guessed that the group had been told to include her as much as possible and had to withhold a wince at the awkward atmosphere. When Lydia had told her to go to try-outs, she had kind of assumed that the girl would show up as well. Apparently she was wrong. She gave a quick nod to Kira before Isaac continued to pull her up onto the bleachers and settle down himself a row up from where the other two sat. With a look between the two girls and Isaac, she sat down to his right.

Malia seemed focused on the book in front of her, her head bent down as she read, until she closed it with a snap and turned to face Genie with a frown. "Do you understand this book at all?" she asked, her voice pitching down in annoyance. Genie glanced at the cover, the words _'The Crucible'_ spelled out in a rich, swirling script, before smiling apologetically.

"Yeah, I- uh- I had to read the same book at my other school at the end of my freshman year, so I-"

"Can you help me? I don't understand why the hell Abigail is such a bitch, and reading this dumb book is giving me a headache," Malia interrupted, frown deepening. Genie let out a small laugh, covering her mouth to stop herself from getting any louder. Kira was giggling from beside Malia as well, unable to stop when the girl in question looked between the two of them in confusion. It took Genie a moment to be able to speak, her face red in embarrassment. By the time Genie had finished explaining, the boys were all jogging out onto the field. Malia and Kira turned back around to watch as Coach Finstock began to talk at the group and start up the try-outs.

With a small sigh, Genie slipped her backpack off of her shoulders and shifted until she was practically sitting on the floor in-between seats. Her legs rested against where she had just been sitting and her back was pressed against the seat behind her as she snuggled in to get more comfortable. The truth was that Genie didn't care for sports much. On occasion, she liked to watch soccer or even tennis, but she got bored very easily with most sports. Try-outs were bound to be a whole different level of boredom for her. It was going to be a while before she could leave. Isaac stifled a small laugh, turning to raise an eyebrow and look down on her patronizingly. When his hand came to pat her on the head, she swatted at his fingers and rolled her eyes in response. Her attempts at focusing on the field were pitiful, and very soon broken by Isaac squeezing into the footspace of the seat beside her.

"Lacrosse not your thing?" Isaac asked conspiratorially, leaning down so he could talk quieter. Genie shrugged noncommittally, weaving her fingers together and squeezing her hands. With an unimpressed look, Isaac started talking again. "I mean, I know it must be so much more boring without _me_ down there to look at, but-"

"Oh my God, seriously?" she hissed, side-eyeing him as he started to laugh and leaned back. Grumbling under her breath, Genie tried to calm the way her heart sped up at seeing him laugh more sincerely. A small, traitorous smile wormed its way onto her face despite her best efforts to keep it at bay. Isaac nudged her a few times, waggling his eyebrows when she finally looked up at him. "You're the worst. Why am I trying to be friends with you?"

He smirked at that, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning a little closer. "And here I thought you just wanted to watch boys play lacrosse," he whispered, his lips twitching up in a suggestive smile. She could only stare for a moment, helpless, as her heart sped up a little again. He seemed to smirk a little wider at her unease, as if he could tell just what effect he was having on her. Unable to speak, Genie reached up to push his face away from her so she could collect herself. Isaac seemed to settle a little after that, though the grin didn't leave his face. "Anyway, you said something about trying to become friends with me. Truth?"

"Mmhmmm," she hummed quickly, fixing her eyes out on the field. He was curiously silent beside her, and Genie risked another glance in his direction. His face was blank as he stared out at the players, his eyes unfocused. It was the same look Lydia had had the night before in the car, the same vacant expression she had seen on all of their faces at some point in the past two days. She poked her elbow out to bump into him, watching as he blinked quickly and looked down at her with a dazed, incomplete smile. Despite already knowing the answer, she had to ask. "You okay?"

Even his half-smile seemed to break a little more at that, his lips popping open as he seemed to battle with an answer. In the end, he closed his mouth and nodded resolutely instead of trying to put his lie into words. Genie nodded as well, turning her head forward again and curling her arms a little tighter around herself. She didn't quite know what to say to that, still unwilling to push whatever sensitive subject they all held close to them back out into the world. However, that didn't mean she was going to stop trying to be friends with them altogether.

"Me trying to be friends with you does mean that- y'know- if you decide that you're _not_ okay, I'll be here. Somewhere. If you need," she replied uneasily, keeping her eyes focused forward as she spoke. Genie breathed in shakily, clearing her throat a little and trying to distract herself from the anxiety building up in her stomach from the silence.

A hand popped in front of her vision, holding out a phone in a beat up navy case. Genie looked over at Isaac, hesitantly taking the phone from his hands. He pointed at it, still not looking at her. Peering down at the lit-up screen, she smiled gently when she saw it was set to add a new contact. Her fingers typed in her full name and her number before she pressed save and handed it back to him. She felt her own phone buzz in her jacket pocket a minute later. ' _Little successes.'_

"What's wrong with you?"

Genie jolted, face heating up as she looked down at Malia. For once, the blonde wasn't looking at her as she asked the question. She was looking at Kira. The smaller girl looked like she had been caught stealing from her parents.

"Me? Nothing," Kira said, her words coming out a little too quick. The smile she gave was unconvincing. Genie pushed herself out from between the bleachers, leaning forward a little to look at Kira closer. Malia glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow before turning back to her interrogation.

"You reek of anxiety and it's distracting," Malia countered, giving her knowing look. She closed the notes she was looking at soundlessly. "What's going on?"

The Japanese girl seemed conflicted, looking between Genie and Malia, before deflating altogether. "Scott and I sort of had this thing happen, but it wasn't much of a thing, and now I'm starting to think it never was anything at all," she spilled, biting her lip nervously. Genie gaped a little, snapping her mouth shut when Kira looked up at her with wide, innocent eyes. "What?"

"Well- I mean- I just thought that you two were… a thing," Genie replied lamely, using Kira's own words as she tried to define what she had seen them as. The two were practically inseparable at lunch, always talking and laughing together. To her, they had always seemed like they were a couple already. Kira smiled almost wistfully for a fraction of a second before her face dropped back into worry.

"That's the thing. I don't know if it's a… thing," Kira answered, shoulder dropping again as she rubbed a hand over her eyes.

"What do you want it to be?" Malia asked, staring at Kira and cocking her head.

"More," she said honestly, the anxiousness on her face fading as she looked back out at the boy on the field. He and Stiles were preparing to guard the net together as one player at a time took them on. The group on the bleachers all focused in on them, watching as they knocked down and practically man-handled everyone coming towards them.

Everyone except for one boy.

He was smaller, but he practically danced through the defense that Scott and Stiles had set up, scoring easily. Beside her, Isaac let out a low whistle followed by a muttered curse. Genie raised her eyebrows and turned to him. He didn't seem to notice for a second, keeping his eyes trained on the field, before shifting to move up onto the bench beside her and start speaking.

"Scott and Stiles have been kind of sucking all day. I mean, they were doing really well with the defense, but that kid… I don't know who he is, but he's really, really good. He's making them look like idiots," he muttered, eyebrows raising in interest when Malia stood up suddenly and started to make a scene.

"That was luck!" she cried, gesture towards the goal as if it had personally done something wrong. Genie put a hand over her eyes and slumped backwards with a sigh, trying to ignore the number of eyes currently watching their group. When Coach Finstock didn't reply, she continued to shout. "Do over!"

"Sweetheart, there's no do-overs. This is practice," he said flippantly, turning back around.

"Ten bucks on Scott and Stiles."

There was hardly a pause before he spun and pointed at her. "I'll take that action. Hey, get back in there, Liam!"

Malia sat down, turning to look at the rest of the group victoriously, the grin dropping when she noticed the exasperated looks on everyone else's faces. With a huff, she turned back around and leaned forward to watch the redo of the attack. Genie removed her hand from her eyes, biting on a nail absentmindedly as Isaac leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. Everyone on the bleachers seemed suddenly nervous as Scott and Stiles squared up and Liam began to run towards them. He evaded Stiles again, letting the taller boy glance off his back, but he hit Scott head on and was practically tossed over his back.

Everything went quiet for a moment when the boy hit the ground with a sickening thud, the air tense. Just as suddenly, everything began moving again. Genie breathed out quickly, pulling her hand away from her mouth as she realized she had bit down hard enough that she had started bleeding. Scott and Stiles were rushing to help the boy as he tried to stand, Coach Finstock rushing out towards the group. When Liam tried to stand, he faltered and seemed unstable without assistance. Quickly, Scott and Stiles moved to hold him up and started to basically carry him off the field. With a yell from the coach, the rest of the boys began to run a lap.

"Damnit," Isaac hissed, leaning back quickly drawing his hand down his face. Grumbling, Genie wiped at the spot of blood on her thumb and kept her eyes down, not knowing what to say. If Liam was actually hurt, that could be really bad for Scott. It had been a good block, but it was too rough. There had been no real reason to push so hard, but Genie could only guess that Scott had felt like a string pulled too tight and threatening to snap all day after such a grueling practice. Wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't notice the lacrosse ball hurtling towards the group until Kira had jolted and caught it effortlessly just before it hit Malia square in the face. Isaac sat up straighter beside her, sharing a wide-eyed look with her as the coach yelled over at them.

"Oh. Uh. Wow. Nice catch!" he called, pausing before waving his arms at Kira. "Throw it back!"

Kira stood up quickly, looking over at Malia, before jerking the stick forward to send it flying towards Coach Finstock. It hit him in the center of the chest, knocking him to his knees as he doubled over and coughed. When he could straighten up, he stared up at Kira as if she was a gift from above. The rest of the group beamed at her, including Genie.

"S-Someone ask her if she's ever played lacrosse!"

A little while had passed since Kira had joined the group on the field for the last few minutes of the practice, during which Malia had gotten a text from Stiles saying that he and Scott were taking Liam to the hospital to get his ankle x-rayed. When the try-outs came to an end, Malia stood and said goodbye with a quick wave. She picked up Kira's bag and met her halfway. The smaller girl shot an ecstatic grin towards Isaac and Genie, waving as she practically bounced away with a lacrosse stick in her hands. Genie waved back shyly before turning and picking up her backpack.

Isaac was already on his feet, jerking his head towards the bottom of the bleachers and leading the way down. Wordlessly, Genie followed, quickening her pace when he headed towards the parking lot so she could catch up with him.

"How do you get home?"

Blinking up at him, Genie raised an eyebrow. "I just walk home" she answered, shrugging her shoulders. The pair continued to walk towards the driveway that connected to the street.

"You just walk home?" he questioned, his tone a little hard as he shot her a disbelieving look.

"Y-Yes?" Genie replied hesitantly, the word stuttered as it came out like more of a question itself than an answer.

"I'll walk with you."

Isaac walked ahead of her. Genie, however, had stopped in her tracks and was practically floundering for an excuse, her mouth opening and closing quickly. While she had singled Isaac out as the person she would befriend, she was a little baffled at how easily it was all coming. He wasn't fighting it, or trying to ease into the friendship. The rest of the group still kept her at arms' length, except for Lydia who had practically cut off Genie's own arms when it came to boundaries. She hadn't been expecting Isaac, of the whole group, to be so open to being friends.

Turning on his heel, Isaac raised an eyebrow at her and tilted his head for her to follow. She scurried towards him, balling up her hands in her coat pockets and keeping her eyes down. "I can walk home by myself, you know," she mumbled, a blush rising to her cheeks.

"I don't doubt that that is a skill you have, Genie," Isaac teased, bumping into her to make her start walking. She didn't budge, though, instead looking up at him in frustrated. His light demeanor dropped as he stared back. "Did you not hear a word that Stiles said at lunch today? There's a murderer on the loose. You're not walking home alone."

"What do you mean there's a murderer on the loose?" she squeaked, her eyes wide and her heart thumping nervously in her chest. Isaac rolled his eyes and pulled her forward by her elbow to start walking towards town.

"I mean, some kid's entire family got axed last night, except for him, and the guy who did it got away," he explained.

Genie felt like she could get sick then and there. ' _An entire family, just gone,'_ she thought, breathing shallowly at the nervous panic flooding through her. It was horrible enough for the family to be killed, but for there to be a survivor, just one person out of all of them who lived, was even worse. She couldn't even imagine going through that type of pain with her own family. As they continued to walk, she didn't dare speak, letting Isaac drag her along for a while before he finally stopped them at a corner.

"So… Am I just going to pull you through town or are you going to take the lead?" he prodded. Genie shook her head, turning to look at the cross streets before nodding her head to the left and pulling her arm gently from his grip. They walked in silence for a while, Isaac looking ahead stoically and Genie looking pointedly at her shoes.

"My favorite color is purple," he admitted suddenly, turning to face her for a moment with a curious looking smile. It was teasing, but cautious, like he was trying to hold himself back as usual while still trying to reach out. With a small grin, Genie nodded.

"I like navy, or greens. I like cold colors," she countered, her voice light. He hummed, as if considering her answer before shrugging in acceptance.

"Favorite place you've lived?"

Genie bit her lip, her face scrunching up as she thought over the list of places. There had been a lot of nice cities, and towns. She hadn't really disliked any of the places her mother had had to work, but a favorite?

"Mmm, Florida. We were right on the coast in this sleepy little town, but close enough to Clearwater for my mom's job. It was so peaceful there," she murmured, her voice quiet and dreamy as she remembered the place. Her family had lived there when she was younger, only in sixth grade, and she had been heartbroken when they had had to leave.

"What was your favorite part about it?" Isaac asked, his voice equally quiet. Genie looked over at him, smiling softly as she sorted through her memories. There had been so many things she had loved about living in Florida, the heat being one of them. That had never been what was best about her life there, though.

"The quiet. It was so- so- I don't even know how to explain it. My older brother and I used to go down to the beach at sunset and sit there just listening to the waves. They were so loud, but they made everything else go quiet. It was so easy to feel at peace there. I never- I never felt nervous, or worried. I always knew that I could just walk down to the water and feel better," she recounted, smiling faintly as she spoke. The smile dropped little by little until she felt empty, painfully aware of just how much she had changed since she had lived in Florida. Genie was almost constantly in a state of anxiousness since leaving the state. She reached up to scratch at her neck uncertainly, shooting Isaac an unconvincing smile as he frowned at her. For a few minutes, they were quiet again as they turned onto Genie's street, Isaac seeming lost in his own mind again.

Coming to a stop in front of her house, Genie turned to bid her farewells, freezing when she saw the contemplative look Isaac was giving her. He waited a moment before speaking. "Maybe you just need to find another place that makes you feel like that," he suggested, shrugging his shoulders. Genie shrugged in return, rocking back on her heels. "I could help, if you want."

She blinked and peered up at him. Isaac had and unsure look on his face, and she found she couldn't say no to his nervous sincerity. "I'd like that," she agreed, biting her lower lip and nodding. She felt her face grow warm, and knew there was nothing she could do to stop it. At her words, Isaac settled a little, looking more certain as he nodded and backed away a few feet and turned to walk away.

"Do you walk to school?" he asked, throwing the question over his shoulder.

"My mom drives me," she called, watching as he raised a hand and held it up in a quick goodbye, not bothering to give word to his retreat. Genie watched him walk down the block a few houses before she turned to climb onto her porch and into the house, ignoring the beaming, scruffy face in the window.

Her father was waiting on the other side of the door, his mouth curled into a jubilant smile as Genie stepped in. She held up a hand quickly, silencing any question from him with a firm, "No!"

"Oh, c'mon!" he called after her as she bounded up the stairs, taking them in twos to get to her room quickly and shut the door behind her. Once she had dropped her backpack on the floor by her door and dumped her coat atop it, she leaned back against the wood, holding a hand over her chest and closing her eyes. She took a deep breath and shook her head, letting her head bang against the door.

"No," she murmured to herself, leaning down to grab her phone out of her coat and plodding over to collapse on her bed. She opened up the one message from an unknown number, unable to keep the small smile off of her face. " _No._ "

[From: Isaac Lahey, 4:16pm]

 _I'll be here somewhere if you need too._

* * *

A/N: So like, forreals thank you all for reading so much. I'm so happy that you guys seem to like it. I'll take 9 favs and 11 follows as a huge compliment, and thank you for your comments and messages. You guys are the best, loves. All feedback is seriously appreciated.


	6. Outsider

"So, you're going to come back here right after school and then Lydia is going to pick you up?"

Genie hummed in agreement, nodding sleepily as she munched on her cereal. Finally, Friday had come. The week hadn't knocked her around too badly, but she was tired from trying to readjust to a new school. It would be good to have a weekend just to relax, starting with a night at Lydia's house. Lydia had texted her the night before, demanding that they hang out that weekend and leaving no room to argue. Genie wasn't going to question her anyway. A hand reached out, snapping her from her daze as it cupped her cheek. Her mother was staring at her with a wide grin, her eyes crinkled into crescents. She smiled back, pulling away with a blush and spooning another mouthful of cereal.

"I'm so happy you've got a few friends already, honey," her mom murmured, leaning against the table on one arm as she sipped her coffee. Genie nodded again, unable to stop the grin on her face.

"Me too," she whispered, setting down her spoon and looking down at the cereal again. She bit down on her lip, hesitating before looking up at her mom again. "I just hope it's- I just- I want it to work. I _really_ want it to work. I'm just so nervous-"

"Didn't you say Lydia told you to stop being nervous because you're already friends with them?" her mother interrupted, raising an eyebrow dubiously.

"Mom, I can't just- It's impossible to just _stop_ being nervous," she argued, leaning back in her chair and sighing loudly. "It used to be so easy to make friends. Now I barely remember how I did that when I was younger. I don't know how I did it."

Her mother gave her a sympathetic look, cooing as she reached out to brush a few fly-aways from her face. "You were yourself, Genie," she reminded, sighing at the continued worried look on her daughter's face. She put down her coffee mug and folded her hands, leaning forward to talk more quietly to Genie with an apologetic look on her face. "I know that moving around has been really hard on you. Julien was so quick to adapt, and Paul is too young to remember the hardest parts, but you were stuck right in the middle. It was so hard on you, honey, and I'm so sorry for that. If I could have kept us in one place, I would have."

Genie pushed her bowl aside, laying her arms down in the space she cleared, and reaching out to grab her mother's hands. Her mom clamped her fingers around her, drawing her hand up into a kiss. "I know, mom," she said softly, putting her head down on her free arm. "It's alright."

"It's not, but I hope it will be," Mrs. Cary countered, squeezing Genie's hand a little tighter in her own. "I'm hoping- I'm not sure if it's going to work out this way, but we'll see. I'm hoping it's possible for us to stay here, at least until you finish up high school."

Blinking owlishly up at her mother, Genie's mouth popped open in shock. "R-Really? That might be-"

" _Might_. I don't want you to get your hopes up, but the project I'm working on _might_ take a few years," her mother speculated, letting go of her daughter's hand and standing up to start cleaning up the kitchen. The pleased look on her face was enough to make her daughter beam from where she sat. "Now, go finish getting ready and I'll drop you off at school."

When Stiles and Scott had been missing at their table in the library for study hall, Genie wasn't particularly confused. It wasn't a big deal for people to sneak off and do other things during study periods. Lydia and Malia were strangely quiet, but it seemed like everyone was simply very busy. Genie used the time to get ahead in her Chemistry homework, asking for Lydia's help on occasion when the questions stumped her. She was confused, however, when she walked into the cafeteria only to spot the table she had been sitting at the entire week was completely empty.

With a glance around her, she confirmed that the group hadn't migrated, stepping slowly in the direction of the empty table. She couldn't see anyone. There hadn't been any junior assembly meetings planned, to her knowledge, and she couldn't remember anyone in the group mentioning other plans in the days prior. A feeling of unease passed through her, her stomach tightening as she sat down alone at the table and took out her lunch. Without even meaning to, she cycled through possibly scenarios of why they could be missing, but her mind was coming up blank. Her next train of thought led her to what she herself could have possibly done, before she shook her head to clear the malicious thought. Genie set about eating quickly and quietly, not looking up from her food for the entirety of the period.

The unease in her stomach calmed some when she walked into her next class to see that Isaac was sitting in the back already with his hands folded in front of his face. The smile he gave her was forced as she sat down, but there was always a level of vacancy in his eyes, so she tried to brush it off. Genie curled her hands into the hem of her white scoop-neck shirt, looking down at her homework and trying to fight against that gnawing unease building inside of her. From beside her, Isaac cleared his throat and she turned to look at him.

"Hey, so Lydia said that people were bailing on the plan for tonight because other things came up, so we're going to try to do it next week instead," he informed her, shrugging his shoulders as the bell rang and the quiet chatter in the classroom fell away. Genie nodded her head quickly, smiling at him to show she understood, before facing front. ' _Everyone's just really busy today. They all seem really stressed,'_ she rationalized, taking in a deep breath and nodding to herself in reassurance, the panicky feeling in her chest subsiding.

As a result of cancelled plans and a lack of knowledge of the area, Genie spent the entire weekend in the house. It wasn't a bad change of schedule, as most of Saturday and a large part of Sunday was spent painting and decorating the house so that it was more of a home. By the time that Sunday night rolled around, most of the cardboard boxes from the move at been taken apart and stored in the basement, leaving the house looking clean and put together. Her brother had practically rolled in paint, on several occasions, and the entire family spent the weekend trying to wash off all of the color splotched on their skin.

The tension Genie had felt on Friday was practically gone by the time she got to school on Monday morning. Her mother's busy-work all weekend had helped to keep her moving and doing something other than work herself into a panic, as she normally did. The halls were already packed by the time she got to school, dodging between crowds as she made her way to her locker. There was a curious buzz of low whispering, however, that seemed to line the walls. She swallowed uneasily, looking around at the students who seemed to be vibrating with a quiet tension, people talking in furious whispers in packs. As she sidled up to her locker, Genie blocked out the tension and prepared for class.

By the time she got to fourth period, she was tired of all the constant noise. Genie practically smacked her head against her desk in chemistry, trying to ignore the chatter, but was unable to block out the two boys behind her.

"That's so messed up, man. I'm so glad by aunt was in town and I couldn't go," the first boy admitted, his voice almost reverent sounding.

"It was crazy. I don't understand how it even happened," the second replied, his chair squeaking as he moved. His voice was pitched higher and strained, like he was trying to keep it under control.

"I mean, crazier things have happened. The mountain lion thing was nuts and-"

"Yeah, but the mountain lion didn't decapitate a man outside of Lydia Martin's party Friday night. I mean- Well- Okay, it did kill a few people, but not like that. That's a person deliberately killing someone. Demarco wasn't a bad dude, either. It just blows."

Whatever sense of comfort Genie had gained over the weekend was swept out from under her in an instant, her stomach seizing up uncomfortably in reaction. Her fingers were shaking when she slammed her book shut at the bell, her body unable to stay still and practically hurtling down the hall to her locker. Logically, Genie thought through the situation and figured it must be the man that had killed the family- the Walcotts, she remembered- the previous week, as they had never found him. She shut her eyes tight and tried to calm her erratic breathing. The news that another murder had happened was bad enough, but her heart dropped even more at the second bit of information.

Isaac had told her on Friday that everyone got busy and couldn't hang out, but Lydia had thrown a party. There was no way Lydia would throw a party without inviting everyone, and it seemed clear enough that she had invited at least half the school, just not Genie. Her entire body seemed to sag under her weight as she shuffled away from her locker, walking aimlessly until she found an empty classroom and slipped inside. Everyone had gotten busy on Friday, but they had only gotten busy because they hadn't wanted to invite Genie. Her stomach felt sour at the thought.

Trying to distract herself from the situation barely worked, even as she tried to knock out some of the homework assigned that day during her hour in the empty classroom. Her hand was shaking as she tried to write, the words on the page looking more like a child's scribbles than sentences. When she finally couldn't write anymore, Genie leaned forward with her head in her hands. _I don't understand,_ she thought, trying to fight back the tears building up in her eyes. The group could have simply told her they didn't want to be friends, instead of lying to her and building up her hope that things would work out before excluding her. She swiped the tears from her face, breathing in deeply and trying to shove down the sting of betrayal.

When the lunch bell rang, Genie felt sick. Going to lunch meant either facing the group or being able to hide for another period. Both options made her want to crumple to the ground as she undid the lock on her locker. She rifled through her locker and picked up the books she needed on autopilot, shoving them in her bag a little more forcefully than she intended to.

" _Someone_ didn't come to study and _someone_ definitely needs a caramel frappe from that café in the mall after school today," a teasing voice intoned, strawberry-blonde curls bouncing into her vision as Lydia came to rest on the locker next to her. Genie hummed tonelessly, focusing on her task and trying to keep herself calm as she shut her locker door. "I understand it's a Monday, Genie, but must we revert to becoming Frankenstein's monster?"

Without a word, Genie turned away from Lydia and walked to the far cafeteria doors. The click of heels followed her there, but when Genie sat at an empty table in the back of the cafeteria, Lydia chose to stand and stare at her with a confused look on her face. With a hand on her hip, Lydia raised her eyebrows and gestured towards the table the other girl sat at.

"And _why_ are we sitting back here?" Lydia asked, as if she was talking to a child. The confused look on her face quickly morphed into something much more aggravated. All of the irritation and disappointment that Genie should have been feeling was absent, substituted only with an emptiness she didn't know how to swat away. Lydia gave her another look, waiting for her to speak, before sitting down quickly at the table and narrowing her eyes. "Well?"

Before speaking, Genie took a breath to steady her vibrating nerves. After a moment of silence, she looked straight at Lydia with a blank face. "How was your party?" she asked, her voice shaky. Lydia looked like she'd been slapped, her eyes wide as she looked at Genie. Genie nodded, sinking in defeat and sniffling quietly. Quietly, she took out one of her textbooks so she could feign being busy, just so she wouldn't have to keep looking at Lydia. Before Lydia could answer, another body sank into the other seat beside Genie. Looking up, Genie locked eyes with Isaac for a second, the boy looking between Lydia and Genie with a raised eyebrow, before snapping her attention back to her history book. Isaac's arrival only seemed to hail the rest of the group, however, as the other seats around her started filling in. Genie felt like she was going to hurl, her stomach lurching violently.

"I thought sitting in the center of the cafeteria was a social status move," Stiles chided sarcastically, dropping his bag on the table and turning to go up to the lunch line with Malia and Kira in tow. Lydia snapped her mouth shut and sat up straighter in her seat to collect herself. Her response was too late for Stiles to hear it, but she had to say it regardless.

"Change of scenery," Lydia answered plainly, keeping her chin lifted as Scott and Isaac stared at her in confusion. Genie couldn't bring herself to look up. Shifting uncomfortably, Scott cleared his throat and drew the eyes of everyone at the table. He looked pointedly between Genie and Lydia.

"Everything cool?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in concern.

Lydia shared a quick, uncertain glance with Genie, her mask breaking a little at the betrayed look in the girl's eyes. Genie hesitated for a moment, breathing in steadily and relaxing her hands in her lap. "Everything's fine, Scott," she replied, turning back to her reading as she rested an arm on the table and laid her head down. An elbow nudged her in the ribs, her eyes flitting up to see Isaac fixing her with a worried look. She didn't dignify it with a reply, choosing to close her book and worm her other arm under her head so she could shut her eyes.

The rest of the table returned to a silent, tense table, the clatter of their arrival rousing Genie from where she had her head resting. Kira and Malia picked up on the change immediately, but it took Stiles a moment of talking with a full mouth to realize that everyone else seemed uncomfortable. Swallowing thickly, his eyes darted around the table.

"Okay, what the _hell_ did I miss? I mean, you're acting like someone died- I mean, someone _did_ , but-"

"Stiles!" Scott whispered, the final s hissed like a warning. He shot Stiles a hard look, to which the paler boy responded with indignance.

"What? Seriously, it's like a funeral at this table right now! The dude who died Friday at Lydia's isn't due to be buried till- Ow!"

Malia had shoved an elbow into Stiles's side, her eyes flashing to look at Genie as the younger girl pulled her book from the table and dropped it into her bag. It was then that Stiles seemed to recognize the signs of what was going on, his eyes going wide as he snapped his gaze to Genie, mouth open like a fish out of water. If that wasn't the perfect look to describe how Genie felt, then she didn't know what was. She gave a small, shaky smile as she stood up, trying to hold her tears at bay until she at least got out of the room.

"I just- uh- Thanks for letting me sit with you guys, but I'm just going to- uh- I'm going to go, now," she stuttered, her cheeks going red as she backed away from the table and rushed from the cafeteria. There were a few noises of protest, but she tried not to pay them mind as she rushed to a bathroom as far away from the cafeteria as she could and locked herself in a stall.

Genie had been able to calm herself down enough in time for the next period, but was dreading going to the economics class. She'd have to sit next to Isaac for almost a full hour and she wasn't sure she would be able to focus with him there. However, she wasn't sure if she was happy or even more upset by the complete lack of communication between the two of them throughout class. The blonde hadn't even looked at her once, his eyes focused forward the entire time.

When the final bell of the school day rang, Genie couldn't control the tired sigh that whooshed out of her. She gathered her belongings quickly, ready to go home and pretend as if the day had never happened. Walking out into the side parking lot, there was a ripple of anxiety in her stomach when she saw Lydia and Isaac waiting by Lydia's car. For a moment, she thought she could slip away and avoid them, but it seemed as if luck was not on her side, as Isaac looked up and caught her eyes just as she had been about to walk in the opposite direction. She felt frozen, unable to do anything but drop her gaze to her feet, as the two approached.

"Hey," Isaac greeted lamely, a hand waving into Genie's line of vision. She sniffed and looked up again, glancing between the two before trying to settle on looking unaffected.

"Hi."

Lydia bit her lip, hesitating before her until she reached out to tug on the younger girl's wrist and guide her towards the car. For a moment, Genie was baffled, unable to react except to move along with her, until she was able to gain back her senses and pull away just as Lydia had reached the car. The shorter girl turned to her sharply, opening the car door and stepping towards the driver's side. Genie nearly rolled her eyes, the sting of the situation hitting her a little more sharply as she tried to back away, only to collide with Isaac behind her. He cleared his throat uncomfortably before gesturing to the car.

"No."

With a sigh, Isaac pushed her forward a little, but Genie pushed back against him and turned around. She didn't bother trying to hide the hurt on her face then, her mouth pulled down in a sharp frown and her eyes glassy. He looked almost stricken at the look, much like Lydia had been by her question earlier.

"Just let Lydia drive you home. Just today. That's all we're asking," he bargained, shrugging his shoulders gently and looking down. Genie crossed her arms over her chest, taking in a breath at the request. Shaking her head quickly, she tried to step around him once more, but he blocked her off easily. She reached a shaky hand up to her eyes, dabbing at the tears forming there before turning around sharply and getting into the car without another word. Isaac closed the door behind her and walked back towards the school, where Genie could see the other boys waiting for him with another, smaller boy by their sides.

The first few minutes of driving were silent, a veritable storm brewing in the backseat of the car, but Lydia paid it little mind. Genie tried not to pay attention to anything, closing her eyes and sucking in a deep breath to calm herself. When she opened them again a few minutes later, she realized that they were headed away from her house and in the direction of the mall. Lydia seemed to notice the growing irritation of the girl beside her, glancing in Genie's direction and sitting up a little straighter.

"Well, I _told_ you I needed a caramel frappe," she reminded quietly, her usual tone of command tinged with uncertainty. "And Isaac didn't know I was kidnapping you. He legitimately thought I was just going to drive you home, but I really wanted to go back to that café so I figured I might as well drag you along. Maybe buy you a strawberry and crème smoothie."

Genie sighed, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes again. ' _There's no saying no to Lydia Martin, is there?'_ she mused.

By the time they had gotten their drinks and had sat down at the table, Genie felt more tired than anything else. Lydia had chattered on noisily, trying to fill the awkward void and stall the real conversation until they had found a place to settle. Once they were sitting, however, she seemed to go silent, unable to find the words to say. Genie drank at her smoothie slowly, looking up from the corner they had sat in to scan the rest of the shop. There were only a few other patrons in the tiny café, most of them young couples other than the small family by the front window. She and Lydia were secluded, blocked from being seen by most of the shop by the main serving bar.

"Genie?"

Taking in a deep breath, she looked up at Lydia with blank eyes, straw still wedged between her lips as she sucked another mouthful of strawberry and swallowed. Lydia paused, mouth popping open with an audible noise before she took a quick swig from her drink.

"Genie, I just wanted you to know that-"

"I really don't need you to tell me a bullshit excuse, Lydia," she mumbled, looking down at her folded hands on the table and inspecting her ragged nail. Lydia went silent again, and when Genie looked up she could see the contemplative look on Lydia's face.

"You want the truth?" she asked suddenly, making sure to hold eye-contact with Genie. It was Genie's turn to hesitate, her heart hammering quickly at the sudden confidence that Lydia had regained. The sadness in her eyes was replaced with an intensity Genie hadn't seen there before, the look scaring her a little. While she didn't want Lydia to lie to her, she also wasn't sure she wanted to hear the blatant rejection out-loud. When she didn't answer, Lydia took that as confirmation and nodded resolutely. "We cancelled on Friday night because we were trying to stage an intervention for someone that Scott had become friends with, because he noticed… signs that he was hurting himself. He didn't think he had a problem, however, so we had to trick him into coming. Kira told him it was a party, but then he spread word that I was throwing a party at my family's lake house and then the entire school showed up and a man was murdered, so all in all, Friday night was a disaster."

For a moment, Lydia looked like she was going to start screaming in aggravation, but she settled back into her seat and took another prim sip from her drink. Genie blinked at her, dumbfounded.

"Am I- Am I supposed to believe that?" she asked quietly, her voice a little incredulous.

"Yes!" Lydia cried, looking to the side quickly when she saw the heads of the other patrons snap in their direction. She scooted forward so she could talk quieter, her face sincere. "I'm being entirely truthful with you, Genie. I promise. We didn't want to tell you the truth because the person the intervention was for goes to our school, and we didn't want to bring any more people into the situation, but then it blew out of control anyway."

Genie raised a skeptical eyebrow, raising her own drink to her mouth so she could take another mouthful and have an excuse not to talk. It seemed as if Lydia was being honest with her, and she seemed desperate to make amends. There was a part of Genie that wanted to hold a grudge, tell Lydia how much the situation had hurt her, but Genie was rarely a confrontational person. Even letting Lydia know that she had found out about the party had been a huge action for her, one that she almost wished she could take back. She hated the aftermath. All she wanted to do was start the day over and pretend nothing had ever happened. With a sigh, Genie set her drink back down and leaned back in her seat. "Who was it?"

Lydia gave her a begging look, her lips pressed together in a thin line, before she sagged and gave up the name. "Liam Dunbar," she whispered.

For a moment, Genie couldn't think of anyone by that name, but she vaguely remembered hearing the name Liam called out before. It took her a moment to think of it, but her eyes widened and snapped to Lydia with a surprised look. "You mean the boy Scott hurt during practice last week?" she clarified, watching as Lydia nodded her head slowly and leaned back to sit up straight in her seat, giving Genie a pensive look. "You staged an intervention for- Oh my God, was he on something during the try-outs?"

"Mmhmmm, and Scott caught him. Liam's a good boy, really, but he just needed a little guidance. He's had a little trouble adjusting with his transfer, and some family pressure about being good at lacrosse. Scott is kind of taking him under his wing. He wants to help him out," Lydia explained. "I wasn't supposed to tell you, but I just- I didn't want our friendship to get messed up so quickly. We have to be friends at least long enough for me to screw up in a bigger way, like kissing your ex-boyfriend in the coach's office."

Without saying another word, Lydia stood up with her drink in hand and walked towards the exit. Genie's eyes were as wide as saucers, her lips split open as she stared at Lydia in confusion. Lydia snapped at her to hurry up, shaking Genie into uncoordinated motion as she practically tripped over her chair to catch up and walk beside her. She shot Lydia a suspicious look, one corner of her mouth lifting.

"Is there a story behind that, or is that just what you have planned for us?"

"Believe me, I never plan to do _that_ to anyone again. It's not worth it," Lydia confided, smiling sadly as she took a last sip from her drink and threw out the cardboard cup. After linking their arms, Lydia led them back to parking lot and towards her car, the two girls silent. Genie tried to puzzle through what she knew of the group and who was exes with who, but nothing came to mind.

"Wait- Who did you-"

"Scott."

"What?" Genie crowed, pulling away from Lydia with her eyebrows raised high in amusement. The other girl got into the car without a word, leaving Genie floundering as she hurried to climb into the passenger's seat. "But- Wait, didn't Kira only get here like last semester? And I thought they weren't even-"

"Allison. He was dating my friend Allison," Lydia said quietly, her hands twitching on the steering wheel as they pulled away. A sinking feeling in Genie's gut made her draw back, her mouth closing tight at the tense atmosphere in the car. Lydia snuck a look at her, taking in a deep breath and letting it go in a large sigh. Genie watched as the girl seemed to build herself up slowly, taking a few minutes of silent driving to prepare herself. "Our friend Allison died just before break started. It's just been- It's been an adjustment."

Genie squeezed her eyes shut, taking in a short breath and curling her hands around her seatbelt. _Losing a friend like that so suddenly…_ she thought, her own mind flitting back to her own near loss just before break. Emily had had some sort of aneurysm after school one day, resulting in her hospitalization in a coma just before Genie moved away. She had been doing better recently, her parents had said in an email, but there was a long road of recovery in front of her. In Beacon Hills, however, the worst had come to pass. Little by little, Genie was beginning to understand all of the awkward silences and words left unsaid. That tension at the lunch table on the first day made more sense, as she thought back to the look on Scott's face and Kira's tense silence. There was one more drawn face that she remembered, her heart speeding up a little as she lifted her head to look at Lydia.

"She and Scott- when she- they weren't…"

"No. No, she was dating Isaac."

Nodding, Genie let herself fall quiet, unable to find her words as they looped through the backstreets to return to her neighborhood. The sky was just turning dark above them as Lydia pulled up to Genie's house. For a moment, the brunette found herself unable to move, staring straight ahead at the glow the headlights cast on the street. After a tense few minutes, Genie unbuckled her belt and turned to Lydia with a serious look.

"I'm so- I know you don't want to hear it. You've probably heard it thousands of times, but I'm so sorry. If you ever need to talk- about her or- or anything… Just- If you need an outsider to vent to-"

"You're not an outsider," Lydia interrupted, tilting her head so she could fix Genie with a determined stare. Her mask only faltered for a moment, an unbearably sad look behind hazel eyes, before she was smiling wickedly. "Tomorrow, I'm going to make you tell me who you think is cute in school and then we're going to find you a boy. We can't just have you become a total pariah. You missed a pretty killer party this weekend, in case you didn't know."

With a disbelieving scoff, Genie popped open the door and lifted herself out, only stopping when Lydia called for her to wait a moment. She poked her head back down through the door, taken aback by the earnest look on Lydia's face.

"I'll see you tomorrow at study? And lunch?"

Genie hesitated for a moment before nodding, smiling gently when Lydia flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned her bravado back on in an instant. Lydia shot her a dazzling smile and wiggled her fingers in a goodbye, her car driving away the moment Genie shut her door.

* * *

A/N: Thanks thanks thanks for all the reviews and all the reads, everyone! Super grateful that you guys even like this. Gimmie your suggestions, comments, anything, as always.


	7. Lie

Genie sat curled on the couch late Monday night, staring at one of the photos on the mantel with something akin to longing, her eyes unable to move as she gazed up at the elegant woman framed in black. It was an old photo, the edges ripped and frail looking, but the woman in it was anything but.

"You always did love that picture."

Looking to her left, she saw her mother leaning on the divide into the room, a gentle smile on her face. Mrs. Cary brushed a piece of her short-cropped hair from her eyes, snatching the frame from the mantel. Her mother folded herself into Genie's side, holding out the frame for the both of them to see. With a sad smile, Genie turned her eyes from the picture and up to her mother.

"You told me so many stories about Gran Annaliese. I wish I could have known her," she mumbled wistfully, sighing and leaning into her mom's chest. Her mother tutted, running a hand through Genie's hair comfortingly.

"You and she are so alike, honey. You have no idea," her mother replied. The woman in the photo looked no older than Genie's own mother at the time, her posture perfect as she sat in a decorative chair. Her dark hair was pinned back, but plain, as was her dress. Her face, however, was on open display. She wasn't focused on the camera at all. Instead, her head was tilted back and to her right so that she could look at the tall man standing with a hand on the chair. The smile on her lips couldn't be contained, and her eyes seemed to shine as she looked up at him, absolute devotion in her every feature. The man, handsome and dressed in a dark suit, was looking down at her with a fond exasperation. Genie couldn't help but grin, outlining the woman's face with a light touch.

"You have her nose. It's a little turned up, but it's cute like a button. And her mouth. I definitely got a little more of my father's mouth and chin, but you look just like your great grandmother," her mother whispered, almost reverently.

There was a low wave of pride at the fact that she was like her great grandmother, though she wasn't quite sure if she believed it herself. "You used to tell me stories about her when I was little so I would go to sleep," she reminded, snuggling into her mother's side. With a laugh and a pat to her head, her mom nodded. Her mother had had a wealth of stories for her, ranging from underwater cities and daring quests across foreign countries, but no stories had made Genie so happy as the ones about her great grandmother.

"Mmm… You reminded me so much of her even when you were little. She was such a gentle woman, but she wasn't afraid to fight for what or who she loved. Oh! I always thought you were too young for me to tell you this one, but I think you're old enough now. Did I ever tell you how she died?" her mother asked, a wide smile breaking onto her face. Genie's own grin dropped as she looked up at her mother in confusion.

"Why are you smiling about that?" she hissed, reaching up to cover her mom's mouth as the woman began to giggle. Mrs. Cary pushed her hands away, shaking her head and fighting against her smile.

"Oh, it's a good story. It was after your great grandfather James died, so she was living in their cottage up in Maine by herself. She refused to leave, to come and live with your granmother Anouk, my mother. Gran Annaliese was furious at the suggestion that she move out of her house, so we moved to live close to her for a time," she recounted, a faint smile across her lips. Genie still had a sour frown on her face, her arms crossed in front of her to steel herself for wherever the story was going. "Well, one night, there was a break in at Gran Annaliese's. We didn't hear until the next morning that it had happened, when the police came. She had been murdered, and-"

"Mom! This is not a happy story to add to the ones from my childhood," Genie protested loudly, her mouth wide open in shock as she shook her head. She could feel her stomach twist at the thought of her family member being murdered, immediately thinking about the family that had been murdered in the town that week. Her mother only shushed her in response.

"The suspects had been caught, however, because they had never left the house..."

Genie took in the silence for a moment, narrowing her eyes at her mother. "They… never left the house?" she asked cautiously. Her mother began to giggle again.

"Nope. All three of the men practically had nervous breakdowns right after she died. What they told the police, though, was the best part. It's the reason I'm telling you this, honey, and it's worth it, I promise. Bear with me," her mother begged, eyes tearing up as she continued to smile wider. Genie pulled back from her mother's arms to look at her head on. "They had broken into the house and were confronted by an eighty-nine year old woman with her hair in curlers in a lilac nighty brandishing a kitchen knife, who promptly starting singing at the top of her lungs and chasing them towards the door. They all said it was the most terrifying thing that they had ever seen. When she died, they all felt suddenly ill and sat down in the kitchen, not bothering to try and hide the body or their attempted robbery."

Genie blinked stupidly at her mother as if in a trance, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly and her hands fallen uselessly in her lap. She couldn't keep the tiny hysterical sound from bursting out of her, her giggling joining her mother's as they doubled over in laughter. Wiping tears from her eyes, she sat up and tried to talk through the noise. "Are you- are you telling me my great grandmother turned into a vengeful Viking lady when she was threatened in her own home?" she cried, her voice shaky as she burst into another fit at her mother's frantic nodding. Genie shoved her palm over her mouth, trying to keep quiet so she wouldn't wake Paul upstairs.

"Most of the stories I told you about your Gran Annaliese were about how kind she was, and how generous she was, and how in love she and your Gran James were, but she was also a completely wild woman, unafraid to fight and stubborn to a fault," her mother supplied, dabbing at her eyes and grinning at Genie. "You are just as sweet and gentle and loving as your grandmother, but never forget that you're a fierce little thing too. You've got her spirit in you, her song." Leaning forward, Mrs. Cary hugged Genie tightly and pulled away to rub their noses together. Genie scrunched up her face and giggled, drawing back to wipe at her eyes.

"Mom, I don't think I could ever pull a knife on intruders and sing them into shock," she teased.

Her mother scoffed, swatting at Genie's head playfully. "If there are ever intruders, please don't pull a Gran Annaliese. Just call the police," her mother begged, snickering as Genie nodded in agreement. "Now… What's going on with you today? You've been quieter than usual, and you're already quiet, so what I mean is that you've been silent."

With a sigh, Genie squirmed in her mother's arms until she was cushioned against the woman's chest, listening to the soothing thump of her heartbeat. Her mother didn't question her further, instead running her hands through her daughter's hair. A few minutes passed before Genie sighed again and pulled away, shrugging noncommittally.

"A little drama at school. Everything's alright now, but I'm just tired," she evaded, letting her eyes drift down to her hands in her lap. Her mother released a sigh of her own before standing and moving to put the picture back on the mantel. Mrs. Cary turned to Genie and reached out her hands to help pull her off of the couch, slinging an arm over her daughter's slim shoulders and guiding her towards the stairs.

"Alright, but you'll let me know if things aren't okay? After everything that happened at Jefferson, I just want to know that my baby is alright," her mother admitted, leading them up the stairs. Genie gave a quiet hum in agreement, loud enough to satisfy her mom. As they reached the top of the stairs, Genie's mom pulled her close to press a kiss against her forehead before prodding her in the direction of her bedroom.

ooo

The last thing Genie was expecting when she arrived at school the following day was for Lydia to be waiting impatiently at her locker, a small brown bag curled in her hand. When she saw Genie, she held the bag out to her, a slightly-too-wide smile stretching across her lips.

"Morning. I got an extra cinnamon roll at the bakery today," Lydia explained, handing the bag over and leaning on the locker next to her as Genie began to sort out her books for the morning.

"Thanks, Lydia," she intoned quietly, looking up and shooting the girl a small, sincere smile. The slightly nervous edge to Lydia's smile subsided into her normal dazzling grin. Genie shut her locker as quietly as possible, leaning next to Lydia and taking out the cinnamon roll to munch on. She nearly groaned, rolling her eyes up and putting more weight against the locker. "Christ on a bicycle, this is amazing."

"Bicycles didn't exist back then, Genie," Lydia chided, pushing away from the locker and tugging Genie to follow her down the hall. Genie huffed, bumping her hip against Lydia's and smiling to herself when the girl stumbled in her heels and shot her a baleful glare. The first warning bell rang loud overhead, Genie's mouth tugging into a frown at the shrill sound.

"I'll see you at study," Genie called as she turned down another hall towards her homeroom. Lydia waved without a word, but the thankful look on her face was enough to tell Genie that the girl had been worrying she wouldn't show.

When Genie showed up to first period, Malia didn't seem as worried as Lydia had been. It would have been strange to have her apologize and ask if they were on good terms, though. She couldn't help a small smile when Malia waited after class to tell her she didn't think there was anything wrong with Genie after all. That was as close to an apology as she was going to get from the other girl, and she'd take it if it meant Malia would stop insinuating she was severely unhinged.

Study hall was an entirely different beast to tackle. Genie felt nervous the entire period before, picking at her nails absentmindedly as she tried to calm herself down. She was already alright with Lydia and Malia, but Scott and Stiles had last seen her fleeing from the lunch table the day before. No doubt they all knew why she had freaked out on them, but she couldn't help the rising embarrassment as she signed into study. The table was empty when she got there and she sank into her usual seat with a sigh, setting down her head in her arms and trying to squash out her anxiety as she heard a pair of heels clicking in her direction.

"Oh, don't think you can just sleep through the period, Genie. Remember, we have to plan out your social moves for the next few weeks," a clipped voice called, the sound of multiple chairs being pulled out following Lydia's statement. Genie lifted her head with a groan, narrowing her eyes at Lydia and slumping back and away from the girl. Her appreciation for the cinnamon roll gift this morning disappeared in an instant. Lydia was seated to her right, and Malia to her left at the head of the table, while Stiles and Scott sat across from her. With wide, pleading eyes, Genie turned to Malia, only for the girl to scoff and pull out her books.

"You got yourself into this mess," she blamed, raising a reproachful eyebrow and tucking a green highlighter behind her ear. A yellow one sat behind her other ear already, and there was a pen sticking out of her messy bun. Genie couldn't help the stray thought of wonderment that Malia didn't have to buy new supplies every week.

"You're the one who introduced us, Malia," Genie groaned, glancing warily at Lydia as she pulled out a notebook and wrote Genie's name at the top of a sheet of paper in large letters. She blanched at the growing outline format that Lydia was creating, week by week. "You've got to be kidding me. I have friends. Isn't that enough?" Her eyes shot to Scott and Stiles, only to see both of them pointedly looking down at their own work. "Seriously?"

Scott looked up to meet her eyes, but he didn't seem entirely focused on the present situation. His lips were set in a firm frown and his eyebrows drawn together. He looked almost liked a kicked puppy, and Genie's gut twisted at the look, knowing exactly why he was giving it to her. With her heart wavering a little as her embarrassment swelled again, Genie looked down at her hands quickly as if she was burned by the look he had been giving her.

"So, who do you have your eyes on? You were squirrely in the car last night. I'm getting an answer out of you."

Someone sputtered from across the table, but she couldn't bring herself to look back over at the boys. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she snapped her gaze to Lydia instead, the girl sitting perfectly straight in her chair and her hair pulled back into an almost clinically professional ponytail. She looked like a woman on a mission, the fire in her eyes only scaring Genie more as it was coupled with a shark-like smile.

"Wha- I- No. Lydia, come on," Genie begged, running a hand over her face as she felt herself turn red. The pleased noise Lydia made at the change made Genie cringe, sighing when the girl leaned closer. Genie couldn't lean any farther away without falling out of her chair, instead choosing to look away from the ever persistent Lydia and start picking at her nails. With a slap, Lydia stopped her nervous habit and tried to get her to focus again.

"Oh, please. You're blushing. There's _someone_ you think is cute, and I'm going to find out one way or another, so you may as well just tell me," Lydia reasoned, a prim little huff accompanying her statement as she leaned back to observe Genie. The pointing out of her embarrassment only made Genie flush deeper, eyes flickering away from Lydia to see that Malia was looking at her with barely-contained interest. She took a small breath, trying to stop the flood of nervousness in her veins.

"There's no one!" Genie repeated, her voice wavering as she shook her head quickly, hoping her hair would hide her face enough so that she could disappear altogether. Her heart thumped in her chest at the word and she tried to calm the way her stomach suddenly clenched.

"Lie."

Genie's jaw popped open as she looked up at Scott, meeting his eyes and shooting him a betrayed look. He looked guilty for a moment before he leaned forward, looking honestly curious as Lydia began to laugh. It was a surprise to Genie when the only person who seemed to come to her defense was Stiles. When Scott had spoken, he looked up at the other boy with a scandalized look, narrowing his eyes at him and frowning.

"That's not cool, man. You can't- There's- Reasons, Scott. You can't for reasons," he accused, shooting the other boy another disapproving look before turning his skeptical eyes to Genie. The look that crossed his face was similar to the one Scott had just given her, only a little more distrustful, and she felt her stomach drop even farther. "Okay, but like, who is it then?"

"Do you have classes with him? I need details, Genie. Otherwise, I'm going to hook you up with Marshall Harlow, and-"

"You're not hooking me up with anyone. Please!" Genie entreated, her eyes wide in disbelief and her heart beating quickly. She swallowed uneasily, groaning when Lydia raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her. "I don't think anyone is cute! No one here is cute. Everyone in Beacon Hills is ugly and I plan on dying single!"

"Also a lie."

"Scott!" Stiles groaned, looking at the boy as if he had been personally wounded by his words. He turned back to Genie quickly however, his mouth moving a mile a minute as he spoke. "But yeah, that was a lie. I know it was a lie because I happen to be very cute, like the cutest. Cuter than Scott, and Lydia- Maybe not Lydia, but I am cute! Even gay guys say so."

"You never got an answer on that one," Genie grumbled, the bite in her tone just a little teasing. The moment it was out of her mouth, she regretted it. She groaned and smacked her head down onto the table in front of her, avoiding Stiles's scandalized look. His mouth had popped open immediately to let out a small scoff in protest as he glared at her. Next to him, Scott guffawed loudly and thumped him on the back repeatedly. Even Lydia and Malia seemed shocked at the jab, the former trying to hold back a smile while the latter was smirking openly.

"How do you- How does she know that? Which one of these traitors told you about that? Why are we trying to be friends with her?" Stiles protested, growing louder with every question. A loud ' _shhh'_ from beyond the stacks had him snapping his mouth shut and hunching down towards the table. The rest of the table burst into quiet laughter as Genie peaked over her arms. Stiles continued to hiss from across the table, smacking at Scott when the boy wouldn't stop giggling behind his hands. Beside her, Lydia made little noise and winked at Genie, shooting her a wide, pleased grin. Of course, of course, she had chosen to annoy the person who already liked her the least. Lydia kept trying to remind her that she already had friends, but Genie truly wondered why and how it could be true.

"While this is all very amusing, I still expect a straight answer," Lydia reminded, the back of her pen nudging into Genie's arm. Genie groaned quietly, turning her head to glare at Lydia. The girl didn't seem fazed. She turned back to her planning paper and began to write under the heading _Week Two_. "Fine. Then I'm setting you up with Marshall Harlow. He's the co-captain of the soccer team, and-"

"Lydia," Genie whined, leaning towards the other girl and grabbing one of her hands. "I swear to God, I will make such a spectacle of myself that no one with any social prospects will ever, _ever_ want to date me, and I will never emerge from my house again. I have been here a week, and I barely even have friends, so can you please, _please_ cut me some slack?"

A blank look spread across Lydia's face before Genie felt a gentle squeeze against her fingers. Lydia pulled back without a word, writing again on the paper. Turning her attention downwards, Genie tilted her head to make out that Lydia had crossed out the goal of hooking her up with Marshall Harlow. The nervousness in her stomach settled when Lydia slid the paper towards her with only a single goal printed on it.

 _Make sure she knows she has friends, and that she's going to be invited to the next party._

She turned to give Lydia soft smile, ignoring the lost looks from the others at the table when Lydia snatched the paper back and tucked it away inside a notebook. Genie bumped shoulders with Lydia, smiling again when the girl straightened her back and gave her a pointed look.

"Next week, you're getting a love interest and you're not allowed to say no."

"Oh, I'll say no. You'll just choose to ignore it and have to buy me more cinnamon rolls," Genie compromised, raising an eyebrow challengingly in return. Lydia seemed to consider it, tilting her head to the side and studying Genie critically. Finally, she nodded. With a relieved sigh, Genie let herself sink against the table and close her eyes, blocking out the drone of conversation around her and trying to catch a few minutes of sleep. She hadn't slept well the night before, the story about her great grandmother both amusing her and making her panic at the smallest sound in the house. Her phone had been curled against her the whole night just in case someone had broken in even though Genie knew the fear was irrational.

It was Scott who shook her awake at the bell, tugging her arm until Genie raised her head and stared at him through bleary, squinted eyes. She rubbed across her face roughly, sighing and pushing herself away from the table to follow the rest of the group. Lydia and Malia powered ahead, Stiles loping along to catch up to them, as Scott walked slowly by Genie's side. Genie couldn't help glancing over at him every few seconds, watching his face slid from nervous to determined the closer they came to the cafeteria. When he stopped just around the corner from the doors, Genie turned to him, her hands curling around her backpack straps as she waited for him to speak.

"I know that Lydia already talked to you about it, and I mean, you sat with us at study so that's cool, but I just wanted to-"

"Scott, really, it's-"

"No! No, I wanted to apologize. I mean, I know it sucked and-"

Genie sighed, trying to interrupt him again, but he soldiered through her tiny pleas for him to stop apologizing.

"I wanted to help Liam and I knew I needed help to do that, but you've only been friends with us for a week, so I didn't want to- It's not that I don't trust you, okay? I mean, we barely know you," Scott explained, chest puffing up as he tried to put more conviction in his words. It still sounded like he was whining like a kicked animal at the end of his small rant. Genie's lips twitched in amusement as she looked down at her feet, nodding her head a little.

"It's alright, Scott," she assured, her smile growing when Scott seemed to slump in relief. "I know that I'm not- Lydia's pulling me into the group and I know we're… we're 'friends,' but I also know it takes time. It takes time for you guys to trust me with something like that, and I get that, so… it's okay."

Scott's answering grin made her laugh as he slung an arm around her shoulders and dragged her into the cafeteria. It seemed that the rest of the group was already at the table in the center of the cafeteria, not the one she had tried (and failed) to escape to the day before. Genie felt a spike of embarrassment shoot through her again, her pulse quickening as they approached the table. It was a silly thing to keep feeling so nervous when she knew that everything would be alright, but she couldn't help it. The arm around her squeezed once before shoving her towards her normal side. She faltered, shooting Scott a dirty look as she stumbled towards her seat. Malia was already shoving part of a sandwich in her mouth as Stiles talked to her in a hushed tone, her uninterested expression only directed at Stiles for a moment before she turned to talk to Lydia. There wasn't a space between them, where Genie usually sat, so she took the seat to Lydia's left.

From across the table, Kira shot Genie an awkward smile and waved haltingly as Scott pecked her on the cheek. Genie raised an eyebrow and shot a sly look between the two, causing Kira to blush. _'A thing,_ ' Kira mouthed, the smile on her face genuine and unhindered when Genie gave her a small thumbs up.

"Hey."

Her heart skipped slightly as she turned, shooting Isaac a small, hesitant smile. "Hi," she replied, looking away to unzip her bag and pull out an apple. The rest of the table continued to chatter, but Isaac stayed quiet at her side. Genie's hands clenched slightly, the pads of her fingers pressing until she could feel the apple start to give way, before she raised it to her mouth to take a bite. When she chanced to look at sideways at Isaac, he was staring at his hands, his brows furrowed. He seemed stuck in a trance for a moment, his unfocused gaze clearing as he shifted his eyes back to look at Genie. She blushed, unable to help the reaction and settling back in her chair as Isaac leaned back and scooted his chair a little closer.

The uncertain look on his face gave way to a mischievous smirk, his eyebrow raising. Genie knew that look, slumping down in her chair with a quiet groan and rolling her eyes. He was about to say something incredibly stupid.

"And I didn't even have to play lacrosse to get you to look at me," he teased, leaning over to nudge her in the side. Her head dropped back with a sigh, eyes closing as she lifted the apple to her mouth and took a blind bite.

"I'm seriously doubting my friendship choices," Genie mumbled around a mouthful of apple, ignoring the scoff from her right in favor of pretending the people on either side of her didn't exist.

"You better not be doubting your friendship choices or I'll walk over to the soccer table and tell Marshall Harlow that you want to go out on Friday night and-"

"Lydia, I swear to God," Genie grated, her eyes opening to fix Lydia with a steely glare. The girl was unaffected by the look, however, only raising an eyebrow at Genie in return.

"You want to date Hickey Harlow?" Isaac questioned through his laughter, shifting to rest his elbows against the table to give Genie a searching look. Another exasperated noise escaped Genie as she turned her glare on Isaac, frown deepening as the rest of the table began to laugh. With a huff, she raised her apple again and bit a large chunk of it off before crossing her arms defensively over her chest.

"I will rip his ears off if he even comes within five feet of me with a nickname like that," Genie hissed, her face flushing when Isaac laughed even louder, a shining grin on his face. Glancing at the rest of the laughing table, she narrowed her eyes at the group and wrinkled her nose. "I do not want to date Hickey Harlow. I do not want to date anyone. Leave me alone!"

Stiles snorted from across the table, his face lifting into a nearly maniacal sort of happiness. There was a mocking lilt in his voice when he spoke a single word. "Lie."

Both Lydia and Malia tried to stifle their giggles at the word, but Scott barely tried to contain his grin. His attempts to cover it with a sympathetic pout were laughable, but Genie could only mumble to herself and glare at the traitors around the table as her chest felt tighter. She knew her face must be bright red, just as it had been in study hall during the same conversation, but she couldn't stop it. With a frown, Genie chose to ignore the jabs little jabs and bite into her apple again. It took a few minutes for the table to settle and shift into other topics when Genie made it apparent she wouldn't rise to the bait any longer. Her heart was still beating uncomfortably fast in her chest and she clenched a hand in the fabric of her navy skirt to try and calm herself.

A nudge from her left had her shooting a sour look at Isaac again, her lips pursed and her brows furrowed. He sighed, leaning back and raising his eyebrows at her as he patted the hand that was balled in her skirt, pushing at it until she let go to rest it over her stomach. She kept her eyes narrowed at him, raising an eyebrow which he only returned with a grin. Part of her still felt on edge, but Isaac didn't have the stupid, cocky look on his face anymore, so she hoped there was no more teasing in store. Instead, she felt herself relax when he pulled a paper out of his bag and set in on the table in front of them.

"You ever finish the homework? Because I most certainly did not."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the delay. Next chapter won't be till at least Monday night, maybe Tuesday. Taking a trip to see a friend a bit far away, but then I'll be back. Thanks, as always, to everyone who is reading along and giving me comments. I adore you guys. Fair warning: things actually start to happen next chapter. I know, I know. You're probably all like 'it's about damn time, Lila, God.' All criticism and suggestions are appreciated.


	8. Interlude

A/N: Please enjoy this dumb interlude, my first new content in literal years, while I rework the next couple chapters of the story. Hi guys.

* * *

[From: Isaac Lahey, 5:02pm]

 _Oranges or strawberries_

* * *

[To: Isaac Lahey, 5:06pm]

 _Strawberries or strawberries. Not a contest_

* * *

[From: Isaac Lahey, 5:07pm]

 _Really passionate about your fruits, huh?_

* * *

[To: Isaac Lahey, 5:13pm]

 _I know what I'm about. Strawberries are the best fruit, hands down._

* * *

[From: Isaac Lahey, 5:15pm]

 _Those are fighting words_

* * *

[To: Isaac Lahey, 5:16pm]

 _Please tell me oranges aren't your favorites_

* * *

[From: Isaac Lahey, 5:18pm]

 _They're kind of the best?_

* * *

[To: Isaac Lahey, 5:18pm]

 _You're joking_

* * *

[From: Isaac Lahey, 5:24pm]

 _There's something about the aroma in particular, and the tang of zest_

[From: Isaac Lahey, 5:35pm]

 _Are we not friends anymore because you're wrong about your fruit preferences and can't handle being told the truth?_

[From: Isaac Lahey, 5:38pm]

 _The end of an era_

* * *

[To: Isaac Lahey, 6:00pm]

 _Shut up, I was eating. You're wrong. End of story._

* * *

[From: Isaac Lahey, 6:12pm]

 _It's a good thing my favorite fruit is actually grapes then_

* * *

[To: Isaac Lahey, 6:13pm]

 _Purple ones?_

* * *

[From: Isaac Lahey, 6:13pm]

 _Purple ones_


	9. Lucky

Four large posters dangled from Genie's fingers as she walked through the parking lot, ducking past people as she made her way towards the stands by the lacrosse field. She grimaced, squinting out at the brightly lit field before turning her attention to the stands in an effort to spot Isaac. Gripping the posters tighter, she cursed Lydia under her breath. Despite her preaching for the past several days about how important it was for Genie to be at the lacrosse scrimmage, she herself wasn't there. Lydia had showed up at her house an hour prior to the game with the posters, told her she had a family emergency, and that she would try to get there as soon as possible. She had also gotten a text from Malia saying her father wanted to spend the night in with her, so she wouldn't be making it either. Instead, Genie was tasked to be on cheering duty with Isaac, only she couldn't seem to find him either.

With a disgruntled sigh, Genie trudged up the metal steps and scooted her way onto the end of a bench, the posters limp at her side. They kept slipping against the metal, so she rolled them up quickly and shoved them between her legs. Pulling her phone from her jacket pocket, she flicked through her messages to reach Isaac's name, typing out a short message asking, quite nicely, where the hell he was. She didn't have to wait long for her phone to buzz, a cheeky response directing her to look at the bottom of the bleachers. Isaac waggled his fingers with a smirk when she caught his eyes. He took long strides up the bleachers to her side and flicked his fingers against her arm, ushering her to move over impatiently.

"I see we are the pep squad tonight," he teased as soon as he sat, poking at the posters and smiling. Genie sighed, looking pointed away when he wouldn't stop smirking. "Oh, please. You got delegated to by Lydia Martin. It happens to everyone. She'll eat you alive if you don't do a good job."

"Should I go get a cheerleading costume and shout 'yay team?'" she grumbled half-heartedly, side-eyeing him with a frown and a faux-enthusiastic swirl of her finger. He seemed to consider the thought for a moment before smirking even wider, meeting her eyes and wiggling his eyebrows. "Oh, gross, stop that! Isaac, come on!"

Despite her best attempts to only appear cross with him at his reaction, she couldn't help but blush at the attention. Isaac laughed openly, grabbing two of the posters from the middle of the roll and putting them between his own legs. The past week had been strange, both with Isaac specifically as well as with the entire group. That constant underlying tension had taken a sharp edge. Everything seemed charged, though the strain was visible more clearly on a few people's faces. Isaac was one of them, his eyes taking on a glazed, far-off look most days, even when he was engaged in something. The wonder duo of Scott and Stiles were nearly always talking in hushed whispers, the purple-blue shadows under Stiles's eyes growing darker by the day. Lydia was off her game, having spent the past two days of the free period in the art room and emerging with a defeated look in her eyes. Everyone seemed exhausted beyond wakefulness, but they all tried to keep up the charade regardless. Genie didn't know whether or not to be thankful for their effort, not when the strain was clear despite their best attempts to cover it up.

"It's probably going to be a rough match," Isaac muttered, the previously happy look wiped off completely as he stared out at the people warming up on the field. "Devonford is Liam's old school. Apparently the break-up didn't go well."

Genie hummed, her gaze staying on Isaac's face for a little longer than necessary, scanning the stressed lines around his eyes. "They'll be fine," she stated, nodding and bumping her shoulder against his arm as she turned to look out at the field as well. They didn't speak again, the match starting up and all chance at conversation drowned by cheering. Neither bothered to unfurl the posters until a few minutes into the game, raising them over their heads and cheering much too quietly for Lydia to ever accept.

The further the game progressed, the more agitated Genie felt. Beacon Hills was getting destroyed, and it was beyond frustrating to see her friends get pushed around as much as they were. She didn't even like sports normally, but this scrimmage was the least fun event she had maybe ever been to. With a sigh, she stood and pushed the posters towards Isaac. He looked up at her, confused, as she rolled her eyes and stepped away with a call that she was going to the bathroom. For a moment, it looked like he was going to protest, but his eyes snapped back to the field when the crowd gave a communal cry as several of the players collided. Genie took her chance to sneak away.

As she walked into the school, the noise of the game was gradually gave way to the quiet echo of her footsteps as she trailed down the hallway to the nearest bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror, she pulled and patted at her skin, trying to rub some of the feeling back into it from the chill outside. Her nose was pink and her cheeks matched the color, sensitive to the touch. Instead of rushing back out to the disaster of a game, she dawdled, taking her time in washing her hands and pulling her hair back into a neater ponytail. She replied to an earlier text from her mother and asked her to give Paul a kiss goodnight for her. By the time she left the bathroom, her palms were sweaty and her face was flushed from the heat instead of the cold.

It was strange, then, how a chill ran down her spine the moment she stepped back out into the hallway. Genie stood up straighter, her spine suddenly rigid as she peaked down the hall from behind the wall of lockers. Pale light from the floodlights by the field filtered in from the right, bathing the hallway in just enough light to give an eerie glow. The shadows seemed darker, somehow. There was nothing else there, but the feeling of unease, of suddenly feeling cold down to her bones, only intensified. _'You're freaking yourself out over an empty hallway for no reason,'_ she chided herself, shaking her head and turning on her heels to walk back down the corridor.

That discomfort didn't fade as she made her way to the turn in the hall that would lead back to the doors. Her hands were balled into fists inside the pockets of her jacket as she took careful, quiet footsteps. The slam of a door echoed from somewhere deeper in the building, and she heard sudden, hurried footsteps racing in her direction. She stumbled backwards a few steps with a startled gasp just as a body came careening around the corner, the figure coming to a halt in the shadows. The person hesitated just a moment before stepping into the light spilling from the doorway, blonde hair and blank face illuminated. He was dressed in the burgundy lacrosse uniform of Beacon Hills, his stick in his hand and dripping from one end, but she couldn't place his face, and it was his face that scared her the most. The blank look was replaced quickly by something more resembling hateful rage as he surged towards her in easy strides. Genie backed up in short, panicked footsteps until she was pressed against the lockers, chest heaving as the boy pressed the blunt line of his stick against her neck.

Genie gave a terrified, garbled sound, feeling her throat close off when she tried to take a breath in to scream. Her hands raised to push against the boy without her even consciously thinking to do so, and she rose onto her toes to try and escape the pressure blocking her airway. Before her, the boy's features were obscured by the dark again as he ducked his head off to one side of her face, but she could feel his breath against her neck as he let out an aggressive snarl. He pressed closer, and Genie felt what little space was between them disappear as she choked again against the pressure. In the next instant, she collapsed to the floor as the boy backed up and scrambled sideways into the corner as he pointed his lacrosse stick in her direction.

"You're lucky I don't have time for this," he whispered throatily, giving another short growl of frustration before turning away and taking off down the hall at a sprint.

Tears spilled down her cheeks as Genie watched in rapt terror as the boy disappeared into another corridor further down the hall, his footsteps gradually growing more and more distant until she couldn't hear them at all. She reached a hand up to curl around the front of her throat, letting out a sob into the silent that had settled back around her, and found herself unable to stop the panic inside of her from bubbling over. Air was barely reaching her lungs before she was breathing it back out again in desperate, rattling cries. The longer she sat there, the quicker and shallower her breathing became. Unable to stop the shaking in her limbs, she shuffled her legs up until she could tuck her free arm around them and rest her face on her knees. It was difficult to ignore the steadily growing fuzziness at the edge of her vision and the way her head felt so empty that it would cave in.

"Hey- Hey, there's someone down here!"

When hands grasped at her shoulders, Genie jolted, trying to shove her body farther away but only succeeding in pressing herself harder against the metal lockers. Her eyes were wide and unfocused as she swung out at the person in front of her, letting out a startled cry when the woman grabbed her wrists and tried to quiet her.

"Shh, shh, it's alright. You're okay. Miss- Miss, you're- Jesus, she's having a panic attack, Allen. Alright, miss- miss, try to breathe from your stomach. You've got to start taking deeper breaths. God, look at her throat…. Allen, get the goddamn sheriff!"

Genie curled more tightly into herself, her wrists still circled loosely by the other woman's fingers. She couldn't seem to find a way to breathe normally, despite the woman's increasingly urgent instructions. Footsteps grew closer from down the hallway, and Genie let out another round of panicked cries when the woman tried to pull her out of her defensive ball.

"Let go of the girl, Hanamoa, Jesus! She's having a panic attack and you're making it worse! Go find a medic, Allen. Get everyone away from this area, and go handle the damn girl we caught in the locker room," an authoritative voice commanded, the hands letting go of her in an instant. The hall grew quieter little by little, but Genie could barely hear the distant noises through the rush of blood through her head.

"Hello. Hey there, it's alright. Look, whatever it was that scared you this much is gone now…" the same voice soothed, much quieter and calmer than it had been just moment before. Genie whimpered softly and shook her head as she tried and failed to take in a deep breath. "That's alright. That's it. I know it's hard to breathe right now, but you've got to try and regulate your breathing. This is a pretty nasty panic attack, sweetheart, but you and I are going to get through it together, alright? Just concentrate on my voice."

Nearly ten minutes of the man talking and Genie trying to get her breathing back to normal found Genie still curled up in the corner, taking quieter, softer breaths with her head resting against her knees. The man was sitting beside her, talking quietly about doing a puzzle with his son some years previous and finding out that a piece was missing. His son, frustrated that the unopened box had been missing a piece, had made his own out of cardboard and prodded at it clumsily with markers until it vaguely resembled the rest of the picture. The man had it framed in his bedroom still. At the end of the story, Genie gave a small _'hmm'_ of acknowledgement, sniffling as she turned her head to look at the man. A gentle smile greeted her.

"There you are. My name is Sheriff Stilinski," he said, holding out a hand for her to shake. She took a moment to look at it before unwinding her arms from around her legs and placing her hand delicately in his.

"Genie," she whispered, her voice cracking on the second syllable slightly. "You're Stiles's dad?"

The look on his face became a familiar parental expression of exasperated and fond, the older man rolling his eyes with a huff. "Yes, that delinquent would be my child. You know him?"

"We're… friends, I think. At least, Lydia has decided we're friends."

The Sheriff gave another huff of amusement, smiling down at Genie and giving her hand a squeeze. "Yes, that sounds like Miss Martin," he drawled, pushing himself up onto his knees to stand. He took an unsteady step and stretched out his legs before turning to Genie and offering to help her up. Back on her feet, Genie felt herself sway unwillingly, stumbling towards the lockers and smacking her shoulder against them with a resounding bang. The Sheriff righted her with his hands on her shoulders as he ducked his head to look at her in concern.

"Genie… I know this is very difficult, but would you be able to answer some questions for me about what happened tonight?"

With an uneven breath, Genie gave another nod of her head, resolute but shaky. She opened her mouth to speak, but felt herself shudder again at the phantom weight on her throat, shaking her head quickly to stop the surge of panic. Reaching up towards her throat again, she traced her fingers across the skin and kept her eyes downcast.

"Genie, who did that?" his even voice prodded, careful but persistent.

"I don't know," she whispered, looking up at him with a frown. She shook her head again, taking in a breath before speaking. "He was- He was blonde, and he… He was wearing the… Beacon Hills lacrosse jersey. He just played in- He just started coming closer and he- and he- I'm sorry! It was all so quick and I can't see his face and he's right-"

She shook her head harder, backing away a step so she could press against the lockers again. A wrecked sob tumbled out of her as she reached her other hand up to try and stifle the noise. The sheriff turned to shout for someone named Allen down the hall to come up with the paramedic. Two new men approached cautiously, one staring intently at her neck.

"Miss, can I take a quick look at your neck? I just want to make sure that most of the damage is superficial," the man asked, taking another step forward when she nodded unevenly. Sheriff Stilinski moved off to the side with the other office while the paramedic checked her over. He prodded at her skin carefully, but he caught her in spots sensitive enough to cause a coughing fit a few times. He stepped away with a reassuring smile. "I think you're alright. Take something for the irritation and inflammation, and you can ice the affected area. If you notice any problems swallowing or breathing, please come in to Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital, alright?"

After waiting to hear Genie voice her understanding, the paramedic walked back down the hall. The other man, Office Allen, finished speaking with Sheriff Stilinski and followed after the paramedic without another glance in Genie's direction. Sniffling quietly, Genie looked up as the Sheriff settled by her side again, leaning against the lockers.

"Let's get you down to the station and call your parents, Genie. I think you've had long enough of a night."

Everything between the time she was put in the squad car to when her mother came barreling into the police station was a blur. Even her questioning by Sheriff Stilinski was barely a wisp of a memory in her mind. When she went to her room that night, her family hugging her and making sure she was safe in bed, there was only one thing she could remember. There was only one thing she could hear, but hadn't been able to bring herself to say out-loud to the Sheriff. There was only one thing that repeated as she looked out into the darkness of her room.

' _You're lucky I don't have time for this.'_

* * *

A/N: This update and the next are very short, but the few after that make up for it. Please let me know what you guys think, and thank you always for your comments and criticisms. Honestly, tell me how to write a better story, give me suggestions, anything. Thanks so much guys!


	10. The Day After the Night Before

Orange and pink light colored the west wall of her room, curtains drawn back so Genie could watch the sun rise in the east. Her eyes were sore from the nearly sleepless night spent curled in a cocoon of too many quilts and knitted blankets. No matter how hard she had tried, she couldn't shut her brain down completely, that sinister voice telling her over and over that she was lucky to be alive. A few times, she had dozed off for a few minutes only to jolt awake at a creak within the old house, no doubt just the wind playing a cruel trick.

"He would have killed me… He was going to kill me…" she mumbled, tongue heavy in her mouth as she repeated the words over and over like a mantra. Her phone buzzed twice within the folds of her blankets again, but she ignored it. The night before, she'd gotten text messages from Lydia and Isaac and Kira expressing their concern, but she hadn't been able to respond. She had watched throughout the night as her phone would light up with a new text and then blink away, back out of existence. Blinking heavily, Genie patted the blankets to find her phone, lifting it up in front of her face to squint at the screen.

[From: Isaac Lahey, 6:57am]

 _Hope you're alright. Let me know if you need anything._

Genie sighed, staring at the text blankly in consideration. Of course she appreciated the sentiment, but she just couldn't bring herself to reply, her fingers hovering over the letters before ultimately dropping. Curling into a tighter ball, Genie let her phone get lost in the folds of her blanket nest again and returned her unfocused gaze to the window. Her eyes drooped as the sun grew brighter just beyond the tree line of the preserve in the distance. Before the sun could rise fully from the trees, she was asleep.

ooo

When she woke before noon, Genie felt listless. Her parents were bustling about in the kitchen, the old house seeming to draw the noise up through the main stairs and into her room. She didn't want to move and face them again, already feeling too tight in her skin and not looking forward to being followed around the whole day at home. It was undoubtedly what they would do, what they always did any time one of the kids got hurt or sick. Instead, she pulled a blanket over her head and groaned into her pillow, shoving her face against the fabric. The noise hurt, her throat feeling too thick and uncomfortable and sore. She needed to go and get something for the medication, but that would mean going downstairs.

Genie felt around for her phone again, not feeling it within all of the blankets she was piled under, and poked her head back out into her room. Peaking over the right side of her bed, she saw it laying on the floor screen down. She had a few more text messages, she noted when she picked it up. There were two more from Lydia, another from Kira, one from Scott telling her to feel better, but no more from Isaac. Scrolling a down to the next notification, she saw she had another text message, from an unknown number. Her nose scrunched up as she opened it. It said the Sheriff hoped she was faring well, and that he'd keep her updated if there were any developments. She typed Stiles's name into the contact slot, a confused wrinkle in her brow at the fact that he had texted at all.

The rest of the day passed too slowly, a haze of feeling panicky and suffocated. As expected, her parents were close the entire day, especially her mom, who had called out of work. She insisted on taking care of anything Genie needed, leaving Genie with nothing to do but think about what had happened when she most wanted to avoid it. Her anxiety was trying to rip through her carefully crafted exterior, to find some sort of outlet, but because her mother was constantly present, she pushed it all towards the back of her mind and tried to pretend it didn't exist. Her cuticles had been picked raw and her fingernails were bitten down to the quick until she had bled. It all came to a head in the shower, the water running too hot on her skin and turning her bright pink as she sat curled on the floor, trying to breathe through the steam and quiet, gasping sobs. She didn't leave the bathroom until the water felt icy.

Back in her pajamas with a towel wrapped around her head, Genie trailed into her room that night to see her mother curled up on her bed.

"Mom?" she asked, her voice thick from crying. She cleared her throat quickly, dropping her eyes at the worried look on her mother's face.

"C'mere, honey," her mom called, opening her arms up. Genie checked her phone on her desk on the way, relieved that her friends had stopped messaging within the past few hours. She turned and crawled onto the bed, burrowing into her mother's arms. There wasn't a spare tear left in Genie to shed after the shower, so she simply laid there, sniffling. Her mom pulled the towel from her hair, stroking through the dark strands underneath and hushing her. "I've got you."

It seemed like ages before Genie felt like she could speak again, humming experimentally. She shifted back to look up at her mom blankly. "Can I go in to take the PSATs tomorrow?" she asked, biting down on her lip when her mother's eyes hardened a little.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. You can wait a few days to go back to school. No one is pushing you."

Genie sighed, dropping her head and snuggling close again. Her mother's heart thumped slowly under her ear, a calming ocean current beneath the crashing waves all around her. "I know, mom," she murmured. "But I feel like I'm going to go crazy if I just sit here all weekend. The PSATs are only three hours. It'll be- It'll be like taking a half-day. Testing the waters."

The arms around her squeezed tighter, her face smooshing into her mother's neck almost uncomfortably. Her mom gave a weak, hollow laugh, sniffling as Genie pulled back quickly to see her crying. Genie frowned, her bottom lip trembling as she tried to wipe the tears from her mom's cheeks. Her hands were batted away quickly with another laugh. "I'm fine, honey. I just- I wish I could protect you from the world. There are people out there…" she said, trailing off as her voice grew colder and more dangerous sounding. A weight seemed as if it settled on her mother's chest as the woman took a deep breath in. Her smile was bitter and eyes glassy as she pushed Genie's hair back, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead and drawing her into her chest again. Genie blinked, stunned, at the sudden change in her mother, at the sudden gravity crashing down upon her. Her mother's voice sounded too heavy when she spoke again, like she was fighting a losing battle with the world. "There are some people out there that would hurt you just for being what you are, honey."

Sniffling, Genie nodded silently, blinking to soothe her dry eyes as she tried to digest her mother's words. They sounded so resigned, like she had thought over her words time and time again in hopes that something would change, but it never would. Her mother went silent and left Genie grasping for straws, waiting for that something more just outside of her reach she could feel with every tense inhale from her mother's breast, but Mrs. Cary didn't speak. Genie fell asleep like that, curled around her mother and wondering why the world seemed to be unraveling all around her.

* * *

A/N: As always, comments, criticisms, and suggestions are appreciated. Thanks so much! Special thanks to all of you who review!


	11. What You Are

What shadow there had been in her mother's eyes the night before was gone when she woke in the morning. She had been as cheery as ever, flitting about the house with an almost frenetic energy and making sure Genie packed a snack for the break during the PSATs. Outside the school, she drew Genie close from across the center console and pressed a kiss to her hairline. Genie sank into her for a moment, allowing the brief comfort, before pulling out of the embrace and moving to exit the car.

"Honey…" her mom whispered, her tone almost pleading. Turning, Genie saw the anxious look on her face again, her mouth pinched tight and her brows furrowed together. "Honey, we could just go home. You don't have to do this today. Are you sure you're-"

"I can't just keep sitting at home, mom," she replied quietly, her voice empty as she stared back at her mother expressionlessly. Part of her wanted to curl up and cry right then and there, but she knew she would only drive herself insane if she kept to herself much longer. It was bad enough that the constant echo of that voice was present in the back of her mind. Maybe forcing herself to do something else would help to drown him out.

Her mother's face stayed concerned, her eyes teary as she swept little pieces of hair from Genie's face, humming under her breath. It was like the first day of school all over again, her mother singing their song quietly as Genie tried to calm herself, hoping beyond hope that she at least _looked_ ready to step back into the building she had been attacked in. She had barely stopped shaking since Thursday night, spending most of her time waiting for the other shoe to drop. Her heart continued to beat just a little too hard, but she forced a small smile onto her face. Blinking up at her mother, she studied the worried look on her face and caught the edge of hard resolve in her eyes, the look that had been there the night before.

Without another word, and without waiting for a response from her mother, Genie slipped from the car and jogged towards the school. There were already small crowds of students loitering in the hall, avoiding actually going into the classrooms. She spotted Scott, Stiles, Isaac, Malia, and Kira among them, clustered together by the lockers. Stiles nudged Scott a few times, each jab of his elbow harder than the last, as she approached. His eyes were narrowed and his lips set in a thin frown as he took a quick look at her, eyes roving up and down. Genie felt a burst of anxiety shoot through her at the look, a little more openly hostile than he had ever been to her in the past few weeks. Her hand moved self-consciously to her neck, rubbing across the scarf that covered the dark mark blotting her skin. The others tensed at her arrival, all of them silent and avoiding her eyes.

Arms crossed over his chest, Stiles was the first to speak up. "My dad's probably going to call your house later to tell your parents this, but he's dead," he informed her, raising his eyebrows as if challenging her to say anything. Genie felt her stomach twist uncomfortably, her mind taking a moment to register who he was talking about. Stiles looked almost like he pitied her for a moment, the frown on his face a little kinder. "Tried to bust his partner out of the transport van. He's not… He's not coming back."

Genie nodded, her breathing a little shallow as she pressed at the mark quickly, feeling almost as if she was pressed against the locker all over again. A throat cleared from besides her and she lifted her eyes to see Isaac, a similar wary, pitying expression to the one Stiles was wearing on his face as well. It only made her feel worse.

"You're alright?" he asked, his tone even but lacking any real emotional inflection. Her fingers pressed a little harder at the mark as she dropped her head and gave a small shrug. Two days prior, she had been attacked by a boy in the hallway to the left, almost choked out against the locker, and the boy who had attacked her had made it quite clear that, had he the permission of time alone, he would have continued to hold her there until she had died. If Genie could find it in her to speak full sentences, she was sure she would say something more biting regarding returning to a place she'd almost been murdered in, but she settled for looking at her feet and dropping her eyes as she shrugged.

"Managing," she muttered, blinking back the water in her eyes. She sniffled quickly, tensing under the pressure of a hand on her shoulder. Scott's eyes were kind when she looked up, ignoring the dirty look Stiles was giving him, but there was a hardness even in his eyes that she had never seem turned towards her. Without a word, Malia gave a quick nod and turned to walk into the classroom. The rest of the group followed after. Isaac lingered for a moment, lips drawn into a tight grimace-like frown, before he too gave a short, impersonal nod and left. With an uncomfortable tightness in her chest, Genie backed away and hurried down the hall to her designated classroom. She pushed through the door and stepped inside, showing her ID quickly to the small woman at the front desk. The teacher, Mrs. Gardner, studied her with blank eyes, blinking between her and the ID silently, before her lips curled into a kind smile.

"Miss Cary, if you would assure us that you are who you say and sign here, and put your fingerprint in the box," she directed, gesturing at the paper in front of her. She also held out a small, manila envelope and asked for her cellphone. Genie did so wordlessly, taking her test booklet from the woman's hands and scurrying towards the far side of the room to sit in the seat with her name on it near the back. After setting down her bag, she pulled out her pencils and an eraser, setting them on her desk and turning her eyes down to stare at the black on her thumb. With a lick to her other thumb, she set about trying to rub the color off. Her eyes glazed over, mind going quiet as the noise in the room grew with every person stepping in.

What had happened in the day she had been gone to have warranted such a cold reception? Genie felt her eyes water despite her resolve to stay calm and swiped angrily at her eyes. She'd been attacked and met with support from her friends, but that support had seemed to morph to, what, suspicion? Suspicion of what?

All of the sophomores in the room seemed nervous once the test started, fidgeting in their seats and wiping sweaty palms on their thighs. A few looked more worse for wear than others, wiping at their brows with their sleeves or breathing too shallowly. Genie herself felt a little too warm, shrugging her shoulders out of her maroon hoodie and pushing up the sleeves of her long-sleeved grey scoop neck shirt. She chanced a look around at the other students before loosening her scarf as well. After another short pause, she pulled the shirt out of the top of her high-waisted jeans. Perspiration was building up at the small of her back and she shifted uncomfortably, jolting when a panicked yell sounded from the hallway. The proctors, Mrs. Gardner and Mr. James, both bolted to the door, several of the more curious students getting up to follow. She hardly had time to focus on the doorway when the student in front of her seemed to crumple under his own weight and fall to the floor.

Genie's fingers twitched, her pencil slipping from her grasp and onto the ground as the room seemed to pause for a moment in the aftermath. She didn't even bother to pick it up, her eyes darting to look at the door before she slipped from her seat and rolled the boy on the ground over. Every day, she saw him in homeroom, but she couldn't remember his name at all.

"Hey. Hey!" she called, shaking his shoulders a little as he started to blink up at the lights. His breathing seemed labored, his hands clammy when he grabbed at her wrist. She flinched despite herself, frowning as the boy started to sit up. Reaching out a hand to feel across his forehead, she glanced up at the other boy who was perched on his knees right behind the one on the floor to help hold him upright. "Hey, are you alright? You're- You're burning up."

He gasped in a breath, nodding his head with a lopsided bounce as he tried to stand, but the boy behind him held him down. "Man, you don't look so good," he muttered, turning around and calling for another student to get one of the teachers. The rest of the students were ushered back into the classroom, followed by Mr. James. He moved quickly in their direction, shoving a desk out of the way to kneel down by the boy's side.

"Michael? Hey, Michael, what's going on, buddy? You not feeling alright?" he asked, his voice low but edged with a hint of anxiety. Genie looked up at the doorway, watching with furrowed brows as Ms. Martin paced outside of the door. She looked panicked, her voice tight as she spoke on the phone.

"M'alright, Mr. James," Michael mumbled, blinking blearily up at him. Clicking heels came closer, Ms. Martin walking into the room with Mrs. Gardner right behind her, her face pinching up in worry when she saw the group of them on the ground. She slipped through the spaces between the desks and crouched down, pulling at Michael's clothing a little and inspecting him before noticing an angry looking purple-red patch of veins and white painful looking welts just below his collar. Just as quick as she came, she hurried from the room with Mrs. Gardner following on her heels.

Within the hour, it was apparent that something was seriously wrong. People in yellow hazmat suits flooded the halls, taping off vents and setting up a quarantine zone for anyone who was sick. Mr. James and Genie led Michael down the hall, his feet dragging as they went and his head lolling about as if he had little control over his movements. Once he was deposited on a bed in the quarantine room, Genie backed out of his small area, reaching a hand up to her mouth to bite at her thumbnail nervously. She startled when her back hit another person, whirling around to see Scott standing behind her with a tense look on his face. His eyebrows rose together in concern when Genie swayed, a hand clamping around her arm to steady her.

"Hey, you alright? You look a little- like- too warm," he asked, reaching his other hand up to her forehead. Genie shook her head, her hair sticking to the damp skin on the back of her neck. His hand felt blessedly and she leaned into the touch for a moment, eyes fluttering once before popping back open.

"I'm okay. Just- Freaked out," she supplied, relaxing when he drew his hand away from her head. She pulled her hair away from her neck, swiping at the sweat there and grimacing. The scarf had long been left behind, marks or no. Her heart was racing too fast, however, and she couldn't stop the short, panicked breaths as she tried to remain calm. "School is supposed to be safe, y'know? I'm just- One too many bad things happening in schools, for my taste."

Scott frowned, the look contemplative as he watched Genie fidget. If anything, it made her fidget more. Gaze dropping to her neck for a fraction of a second, Scott's grip on her arm tightened a little and then dropped. "Is this about Thursday, or-"

Her hand reached up reflexively to her neck, her posture tensing as she looked down. "Y-Yeah, that's- I mean, part of it," she mumbled, shuffling her feet awkwardly. Her eyes watered as she shut them tight and shook her head, trying to keep herself from crying. When she finally looked up, Genie knew she must look like a wounded animal. She took in a quick breath, rubbing at her neck more firmly despite the twinge of pain it caused. "This girl at my old school, she just- She was like the only friend I had there. We were waiting after school one day for our rides and I left before her, but apparently when her brother showed up to get her, she was just-"

Her voice faded, words lost as she shut her mouth with a snap. Despite the number of times Genie had told her parents that she was okay, she wasn't sure she ever really could be. Her family had gotten a phone call just an hour after she had gotten home from school, followed by a visit from the police, followed by questioning, followed by endless days of Genie unable to move from her bed. She hadn't even been able to go visit Emily in the hospital, busy packing up her life in cardboard boxes and pretending like she was okay with moving across the country when her only friend had been found comatose on school property.

A quick, shallow breath forced its way from her lungs, attempting to balance her out, but it was hard. It had only been a little over a month since everything had happened and still nothing felt right. Genie felt like she was walking on eggshells with her every step. Even her mother seemed to be waiting for something to happen with baited breath now, but Genie couldn't figure out what that hard look in her eyes meant.

"It came out of nowhere. Just, one day she's fine and the next she's lying in a hospital bed maybe never waking up again, but I just- I don't understand. Everything just feels too unreal lately, like I'm staring at two similar pictures and I can't figure out what's wrong with one of them," she admitted, blinking quickly and taking a deep breath.

The look on Scott's face dropped to a cross of pity and anguish, a hand reaching out to pull her into a hug. It was a stark contrast from the looks she had been given early by the rest of the group, but it was unsettling nonetheless. When he pulled away, his eyes seemed unfocused, like he was looking at a ghost somewhere behind her. "A bit much for high school, huh?"

Genie hummed softly in agreement, nodding her head and swiping at her eyes. Before her, Scott gave a fleeting smile before wincing, shutting his eyes tight and taking a step back.

"Scott? Hey, you okay?" she questioned, moving forward to reach a hand up to his forehead. He pushed the hand away, however, and stumbled back. With a quick apologetic look, he turned on his heels and hurried from the room. She made to move after him, only for a hand on her shoulder to stop her. Ms. Martin was looking towards the doorway with a concerned frown until her gaze shifted to Genie.

"Are you alright?" she asked quietly. Genie nodded, her head jerking quickly as she plastered on a small, undoubtedly unconvincing smile. When Ms. Martin removed her hand, she ducked her head and took a step away. "Is Scott okay? He rushed out of here pretty fast."

For a moment, Genie hesitated, letting her hand drop from her neck to curl in the hem of her shirt. "I- Uh- I don't know," she muttered, looking towards the doors before Ms. Martin excused herself and walked out after Scott.

Time passed slowly, the heat in her veins growing little by little. It seemed like everyone else was feeling the same budding burn, removing jackets and sweaters, revealing angry patches of skin and being carted off towards the quarantine zone. Despite the heat, Genie pulled her sleeves down to cover the blooming mark by the crease of her elbow. She laid her head down, unable to do much other than let her mind drift into a light, fretful sleep.

ooo

Hours later, perched on the edge of her seat, Genie stared up at the covered windows as the natural light behind them grew fainter and was replaced by harsh, artificial light instead. The classroom was mostly empty, the majority of the students having gotten sick. Both of the teachers looked exhausted but untouched by the fever, hands swiping over their concern-wrinkled faces and eyes blinking out at the students who were left. Genie lifted a hand to rub at the irritated skin on the side of her neck, taking in a deep breath to fend of the lightheadedness she had been resisting for the past hour. Her grey shirt was darker under her arms, across her back, and on her stomach, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

Though she felt better than she had the few hours prior, Genie by no means felt good. However, she didn't feel like she was going to pass out any longer, either. Thankful for having avoided lying in a quarantine bed, Genie let out a relieved sigh and lifted her head from her hands. Standing slowly, she made her way to the door, making sure to open her eyes a little wider and give a quick smile to the two teachers as she said she needed to use the bathroom. Both seemed to relax at that, telling her to hurry back and to go to quarantine if she needed. As soon as she was out of their sight, she leaned up against the lockers and took in a deep breath. Pressing her face against the cool metal, she took a moment to collect herself before continuing to walk down the hallway.

"Miss? Miss, you don't look so well," a concerned voice called, causing Genie to stumble and put a little more weight on the locker. She turned, blinking up at the man who was approaching her in a pale grey shirt and striped tie. His hair was combed to the side and he had a patronizing frown on his face, a hand reaching out to grab her upper arm. "Come on. Let's get you to quarantine."

All of her energy to protest seemed to leave her as she walked unsteadily next to the man, stumbling every few feet and leaning into him for support. ' _Perhaps I should have gone to quarantine earlier after all,_ ' she mused, blinking through the tired haze settling over her. She scanned her eyes across the locker and over the door markers, focusing on keeping her feet beneath her as they took a turn. It took much longer in her state for her to realize they were going the wrong way, her mouth twisting in confusion as her mind started to recognize the numbers on the doors growing large rather than smaller. The quarantine was at the other end of the hall. Genie opened her mouth to protest and turned her head to look at the empty hall behind her, the noise cut off when she was shoved forward through the open door to the boys' locker room.

Stumbling into the lockers with a resounding bang, Genie whipped around to stare wide-eyed at the man who had led her to the room, her head swimming at the sudden movement. He shut the door with a quiet click, turning to face her with a stoic look. In an instant, Genie's stomach dropped and her pulse raced quicker in quickly mounting panic. Without thinking, she opened her mouth to scream, but the man's hand pressed over her lips before a sound could get out. A quiet sob was muffled behind his hand as she tried to stumble back, but he had her boxed in.

"Now, let's not try something stupid like that again, shall we, Miss Cary?" he chided, leveling her with a commanding look until she nodded quickly against his hold. He spoke as if speaking to a child. Her eyes watered as she gave another muffed sob. "Good. This way, please."

His hand stayed across her mouth as he turned her around, his other hand settling on her waist to guide her towards the back of the locker room where the showers were tucked behind a wall. He pushed her forward again, steps slow as he followed after her stumbling form. Genie clung to the nearest divide, shaking her head and whimpering as she backed away from him and into one of the stalls. A quiet desperate sob escaped her, the word _please_ lost in the way her voice thickened from her tears. He tilted his head, studying her silently.

"You know, I'm still not quite sure what you are, Miss Cary," he admitted, face drawn in quiet confusion. A bitter taste flooded through her mouth at his words, but not because of the undertone of contempt. Genie stood up a little straighter, her panic paused for a moment as she stared at him in disbelief. With a knowing hum, the man continued forward. The air was punched out of her as she remembered her mother's words from the night before, the phrasing that had left her reaching for something she didn't understand.

 _"_ _There are some people out there that would hurt you just for being what you are."_

For a moment, Genie felt like she was drowning, unable to take in a sufficient breath as the man stepped closer still. He smiled, too sweet and sour all at once. "I was hoping that the infection would attack you in the same way it's surely attacking the others, but you seem to be getting… better," he continued, his light eyes squinting as he watched her back herself into the corner. Genie had a hand wrapped around her own throat, tiny noises of disbelief strangled inside of her as she trembled against the tile with wide eyes. "So, you're not a dog… McCall has a habit of picking up some interesting strays, though. You're not worth nearly as much as one of the pack, but two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars is still a nice sum. I might as well collect while I can, don't you think?"

Genie stumbled to the opposite side, her feet slipping against the floor as he grew closer. Her mind couldn't wrap around what he was saying, his voice sounding too far away to her ears despite how he was leaning into her space. A shiver shot through her, her arms wrapped haphazardly around her own body as she tried press herself closer to the wall, to shield herself in some way. Never in her life had Genie felt so helpless, not even when she had been pressed against the locker. She couldn't find it in herself to try and fight back like she had that night. The man in front of her was staring with rapt attention, eyes steady as he leaned closer, tracing a finger contemplatively over the mark on her throat with a hum. Looking up, he gave a dark smile.

The click of a door being quickly opened and closed sounded from the other side of the room. Genie didn't have time to react before the man's hand was pressed over her mouth again, keeping her quiet in the stall as her hands scrambled for purchase on the tile behind her. A loud slam echoed from the same place as before, and the man turned to her with a finger on his lips, a silent warning. Nodding her head frantically, Genie slapped one of her own hands over her mouth and slid down the wall a few inches, her knees shaking as she watched the man stalk towards where Coach Finstock's office was located. She could barely see through her tears, listening as the noises slowed and then stopped altogether. Silence stretched out for a moment, broken by the man's faint, sarcastic voice.

"I was wondering how that idiot got sick."

Something shattered, Genie's heart leaping at the sound as she squeezed her eyes shut and leaned against the tiled wall at her side. Her hand slipped across the surface, palms sweaty and her fingers twitching as she inched back towards the opening to the locker room area.

"I'm also wondering where your friends are, since in order to get paid by the Benefactor I need to have proof they're dead," the man's voice continued, almost teasing. A response, too quiet and muffled for her to hear, followed a beat of silence. "Exactly."

Genie pushed herself away from the wall, stepping quickly towards the divide between the two sections of the locker room and peering out into the dark where the benches and lockers were arranged. Two figures drew closer, one forced ahead of the other, the cold metal of a gun glinting behind his head. She wanted to scream, to run, to do anything, but Genie found herself frozen, crouched half behind the wall with her hand still covering her mouth as she locked eyes with the other person. A rush of pure fear shot through her, her fingers tightening over her mouth as she sank closer to the ground.

"Stiles," she whispered, eyes watering in frustration at the position they were in. A short shake of his head silenced her without a word. He looked her over quickly, though, all hostility from earlier gone as he seemed to register just what he had walked in on. Genie could only watch helplessly as the man looked between the two of them and then focused his attention back on Stiles.

"You still look feverish, Mr. Stilinski. You should know something. The virus doesn't kill humans. You'll get better, so don't you think you should tell me where they are? Shouldn't one of you get to live?" the man drawled, coming to a stop behind Stiles. Stiles kept his eyes on Genie as he took a breath, the tense lines in his mouth settling as he gave her a tense smile.

"I think I saw them in the library… or it might have been the cafeteria. It was definitely one of those two," he drawled, and Genie almost didn't recognize the voice. It was harder than she had ever heard it, more sure, but also more mocking. She had never heard him speak like that, not to her or to anyone in the group, but he was speaking to a man with a gun to his head as if he was the one holding the reins.

"I'm going to count to three, and then I'm going to kill you."

Stiles breathed out slowly, straightening his shoulders and turning around to face the man in the grey shirt. The gun was pressed against his head, she was sure, but Stiles didn't waver. If anything, he seemed to grow taller. "Think you can scare me?"

"No, I think I can kill you," the man replied matter-of-factly, the look on his face portraying clearly just how great a pleasure the action would be for him. His eyes flickered to Genie's for a moment, a cruel smile curling his lips. "I just thought the countdown would make it more exciting for all of us. So, one."

Her fingers slid from her lips to scrabble at the divide as she watched Stiles begin to tremble, the first outward sign of fear he had shown during the entire confrontation. A small, choked sob forced itself out of her. She was barely aware of it when she started chanting _please_ and _don't_ in a pitiful, wrecked voice.

"Two."

From the corner of her vision, Genie saw a flicker of movement from behind the man. Her eyes widened as she saw the yellow hazmat suit in the doorway, an arm raised in their direction. She didn't have time to close her eyes before she heard an overpowering bang, like a firework being set off in a box. Stiles flinched, sputtering as blood sprayed towards them both. Reaching a shaking hand up to her face, Genie swiped at her check and found that her fingers came away red. As the man's body crumpled, wide blue eyes stared at her in disbelief and then without focus, the mocking glint in them gone entirely as the man went still on the floor.

Genie couldn't look away as she slid to the ground. The man in the hazmat suit took off his hood, and she could hear Stiles talking to him in a breathy, unsteady voice, but she couldn't focus on anything other than the man on the floor. Her heart was beating too quickly in her chest, her breathing coming out in short stuttered gasps, but she couldn't tear her eyes away, not even as the red began to blossom from the hole in his head in a thick stream. That could have been her. Twice, within the span of two days, Genie could have been the one laying on the ground with cold, dead eyes staring out at the world. It was only when Stiles crowded into her personal space that she was able to break the eye contact.

Stiles's eyes narrowed as he looked her over once, asking her quietly if she was hurt but disregarding the wounded noises she was making, before leaning in closer to talk quietly in her ear. If anything, his words only caused her panic to flare higher, her throat constricting painfully as she tried to breathe in. "Don't say a word until one of us finds you, okay?" he whispered, backing up quickly and looking into her eyes. Genie gave a sob, closing her eyes tight and curling in on herself more. It seemed to be enough of an answer, because Stiles took off out of the room without another word.

The man in the hazmat suit barely hesitated before bending down to kneel by her side, pushing her head back so he could check her over. Genie's knees were pressed tight to her chest as she shook, unable to stop crying as her gaze slid back to the man on the floor. He was still staring at her, staring right through her, and Genie was sure she'd never be able to forget those pale eyes as long as she lived. A wave of nausea rolled through her and she wrenched out of the man's grasp, crawling across the dirty tiled floor and heaving helplessly by the nearest drain. From behind her, she heard the man huffing and the sound of a zipper before finally a warm hand pressed against the small of her back and comforted her through another bout of useless gagging.

She couldn't register how much time had passed, not really, so she didn't know how much later it was when she looked up from her knees from where she was curled against the wall with a shock blanket around her shoulders. The man had been covered with a dark sheet of fabric, severing the draw Genie felt to look in his eyes, but she could still picture him, could still see the pool of blood soaking into the floor in the dark. Her body was still, despite how badly she was sure she had been shaking just a moment before. She felt cold to the bone, hardly able to think or move. Blinking wearily, Genie looked up at a quiet call of her name. Sheriff Stilinski was staring down at her with a worried expression from beside the man who had saved Stiles, who had saved her. The Sheriff crouched down beside her, reaching out a hand slowly and waiting for her to lean towards him before he brushed some of her hair out of her face.

"Genie… Let's get you out of here, yeah?"

Her head bobbed in a jerky nod, but she didn't move, eyes fixed on the blood on the floor. The Sheriff stepped in front of her vision and reached out a hand. With another unsteady bob of her head, Genie pushed herself against the wall a little, accepting the Sheriff's help to stand up completely. He kept his hand on the small of her back as he led her through the door, the man from the hazmat suit staying behind. The hallways were emptying out, most of the students pushing their way through the far double doors. Still silent, Genie returned to her test room to grab her bag, cellphone, sweatshirt, and scarf, quickly looping the last item around her neck with shaky fingers. Every step she took felt unsteady, her legs wobbling dangerously as she stared straight ahead. Sheriff Stilinski stopped her just before the doors, turning her with a gentle hand and ducking his head to look her in the eyes. Her abdomen clenched when she saw the questioning look in his eyes, his gaze hardening when he saw her tense up.

"Genie, I'm going to have to ask you a few questions," he started, his face drawn lips drawn down in tortured remorse. Wordlessly, Genie blinked up at him, her eyes gone dry and her mouth pressed in a firm line.

"Can it wait?"

He blinked, surprised at the quiet question, before sighing and rubbing a hand across his eyes. "I know this must have been very traumatic, but I need to know exactly what happened in-"

"Please, Sheriff Stilinski," she begged, her voice breaking as she let out the plea. Genie closed her eyes for a moment, pulling the shock blanket from around her shoulders and pushing it into his hands. What had happened in that room would probably never leave her and she wanted nothing more than to forget it had ever been real. Besides, Stiles had told her not to speak about it, not yet. She felt herself tremble as she remembered the determination in his eyes as he turned to face the man with the gun, as if he had had his life threatened countless times before. It had been almost routine. Her stomach lurched at the thought. How could almost dying be routine? Not only that, but how could almost being _murdered_ in cold blood be something you were used to enough to stare it in the face and hold your ground?

"Genie, we've got to call your parents and figure out what-"

"Dad!"

Genie blinked tiredly, turning her gaze from the Sheriff to see Stiles jog away from Kira and her father and down the hall towards where she and the Sheriff were standing. The older man visibly relaxed when Stiles threw his arms around him, gaze breaking from Genie to squeeze shut. His arms wound tight around his son as Genie took a step back, watching the two carefully as Stiles slid his gaze to her. For a moment, he just stared, patting a hand over his dad's back and telling him he was okay, but he wouldn't look away from Genie with those calculating eyes. She returned his gaze stoically, unable to look away but unable to move. Sheriff Stilinski backed out of the embrace first and Genie turned her eyes to the floor. A gruff voice called out from down the hall and drew everyone's attention. The tall, dark-haired man who had shown up in the hazmat suit was walking towards them with long strides, Scott trailing after him.

"Stiles, uh- Genie, was it?" the man asked, extending a hand towards her. She took it silently, nodding her head. When he pulled his arm back, Scott ducked in front of him to pull Genie into a tight hug. She let out a small squeak, eyes going wide as she reflexively tried to push him back, but reined herself in to give him a hug just before the boy pulled away. Scott sighed, murmuring quietly that he was glad Genie was okay. She stayed his hold until she noticed the dark-haired man's eyebrows raise into his hairline. "Right… I'm Agent McCall. Would you be willing to come back to the station for a little bit, so we can get your statements on record?"

Without even thinking about it, Genie's eyes flicked to look at Stiles and found him staring right back. His lips were set in a firm line, his face still marked by the red spatter of blood from the man with the pale eyes, and he looked about as exhausted at Genie felt. She looked back down at her shoes, unable to hold her head high for any longer, especially when she saw the quizzical pull to the Sheriff's mouth behind his son.

"Yeah, okay. Sure," Stiles breathed out, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down towards his shoes as well.

"I have to get in touch with my mom… God- I don't- Yeah, that's fine," Genie replied, voice shaking. Her stomach dropped at the mere thought of calling her mom. She plucked her phone from her pocket and typed in her mother's number quickly, hesitating and staring at it before ultimately pressing the call button. Her heart skipped in her chest when her mother picked up nearly at the first ring. "Mom?" she answered hoarsely. There was a moment of static on the other end before her mother's voice became clear. Her posture still didn't relax as she lifted her gaze to lock eyes with Stiles.

" _Genie? Oh God, honey. Genie, oh my God, you're okay- Are you okay? Where are you? I'm outside the school and-_ "

Genie grimaced, stepping away from the group with an arm thrown around her middle as she pulled the phone away from her ear a few inches. She peered out the window of the door, scanning back through the crowd to spot her mom standing by her dark car, bouncing in place. "I'm alright, mom," she assured, screwing her eyes shut and leaning her head forward to smack against the door. "I- Uh- I'm inside. Can you-"

" _I'm already coming inside. These deputies couldn't hold me back if they tried,"_ came her mother's determined voice.

The line went dead, signaling that Mrs. Cary had hung up, and Genie looked up to see her barging past the perimeter and up the steps. In a matter seconds, she was bursting through the door and pulling Genie close to her with a sob. Where her mother was all motion, Genie found she couldn't move. Her arms stayed by her sides as she let her head fall onto her mother's shoulder, listening to her cry and staring with blank eyes towards Stiles. He blinked back, his brow creasing worriedly and his mouth twisting into a pucker, as if he was sucking on a lemon. Her own face stayed lax, but she raised her arms to circle around her mother's waist slowly, watching as Stiles gave a barely perceptible nod. Hugging her mother felt so forced, the weight of her limbs all too clear to Genie as she tried to fight the wave panic prickling at the back of her mind, her mother's and the man's words looping over and over in distinct synchronicity.

She pulled back, despite her mother's attempts to keep her close. To make up for it, her mother began to fuss with wiping futilely at the blood that Genie hadn't gotten around to cleaning from her face.

"Mrs. Cary," the Sheriff greeted, holding out a hand. Her mother paused in her attempts to reach out and shake his hand, giving him a brief smile.

"Sheriff Stilinski. I had hoped I wouldn't be seeing you again so soon after you called," she replied. Scott's father stepped forward to introduce himself, but Genie was distracted from the three adults by the hand that came down to give her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

With a startled gasp, Genie spun around to face the person, stumbling at the sudden movement and reaching up to grab onto them. "Whoa, whoa, it's just me! It's just- I've got you," Isaac assured, reaching his other hand out to steady her around the waist. Genie took in a deep breath, staring up at him with tired eyes for a moment before letting her head fall forward to thunk against his chest. In the brief moment she had looked up at him, Genie could only see his pale, drawn face and a darkness in and around his eyes that made her want to curl up and pretend this day had never happened, to any of them. The hand on her waist came to rest on the back of her head and his other arm circled around her shoulders to draw her close. Letting out a shaky sigh, Genie raised her own arms to wrap around his waist and clenched her fists in his t-shirt. A flush of warmth surged through her, waking her bones a little as she took in a deep, steadying breath.

"You smell horrible," he whispered weakly as he dropped his head to rest on top of hers. She couldn't even deny the statement, her nose scrunching up for half a second in annoyance before she shrugged.

"Thanks," she replied flatly, sniffling against him. He hummed in response, squeezing her just a bit harder for a moment and then letting her go. Reluctantly, Genie backed away and rubbed a hand at her eyes. Isaac turned to lean on the lockers next to Scott and Stiles, and Genie backed herself into the space between Stiles and Isaac. All four of them were silent, staring with unfocused eyes at the walls and floor and their own fingers, but none of them spoke.

It was Agent McCall who broke the spell, stepping in front of them with Sheriff Stilinski. He looked between Stiles and Genie with a small, sad frown. "Are you kids ready? We've got to get your statements about what happened tonight, and it's best to get them out of the way now and then get you home."

Genie glanced at Stiles beside her, who gave a sharp nod. She reached out a hand to grab at his fingers, trying to ignore the same empty aching expression in his eyes that she had seen in Isaac's just moment before. His hand flexed in a jumpy motion before squeezing tight around hers in turn. His eyes were kinder when they looked down at her, but still guarded like they were this morning.

With a sigh, he looked up at Scott's father with barely restrained displeasure. "Let's get this show on the road, Agent McCall."

* * *

A/N: Really appreciate all the new readers, and the few of you new subscribers. Here's the last of the previously added chapters with some edits and additions, which means the next chapter will be entirely new material again. This was one of my favorite episodes in season 4, so it was really fun to go back through it and write out a different perspective on it. Feel free to leave comments, questions, suggestions!


	12. Where to Start

If Genie had ever doubted the existence of hell, the car ride to the Sheriff's station made her a believer. Her mother was rambling at a mile a minute, asking what had happened and practically screaming that she never should have let Genie go back so soon. She had never seen her mom so upset in her life, tears streaming down her face and her hands clenched tight around the steering wheel. Genie could do little more than stare straight out the windshield at the patrol car driving in front of them, humming in response to most of her mother's questions, not really listening to what they were. When they pulled up outside of the station, her mother locked the car doors, still sitting inside and staring at Genie with wide, frightened eyes.

"Genie, you've got to tell me what happened," she whispered, her voice cracking on the last syllable. Her eyes, usually so calming, were wide with panic and barely restrained fear. Genie curled her fingers into her sweatshirt in her lap, head twisting to look out her window. The squad car was parked next to them, Stiles climbing out of it with a drawn look on his face. Jerking his head towards the door, he took off after his father.

Genie reached her hand up to unlock the door, but Mrs. Cary locked it again just as quickly. When Genie turned to look at her, she felt herself grow cold. Her mother barely looked like herself, terrified and terrifying as she fixed Genie with a harsh look.

"Genevive Elise Cary, you tell me right now-"

"I have to go give a statement, mom," Genie breathed out tiredly, raising a hand to rub at her eyes and sighing loudly.

"Answer me!" her mother screeched. Genie snapped her head to the side, eyes wide as she watched her mother try to control her shaking. Never, not ever, had her mother yelled at her like that. She hardly ever raised her voice at all, but nothing had ever come close to that wild sound. Seeming to register the change in her daughter's demeanor, Mrs. Cary began to apologize, her voice shaking and high, speaking so quickly Genie couldn't even understand her. Mrs. Cary reached out to brush her hair from her face, but Genie shook her head and backed away, her hand fumbling for the lock again. Her mother didn't try stop her from exiting the car, and Genie heard a sob just before she shut the door with a harsh swing.

Stiles was waiting just inside of the station with Scott and Isaac, the three boys sharing frantic looks as Genie pushed through the doors. She froze, taking a breath and trying to shake off the panic that must have been clear on her face. It was obviously unconvincing, as Stiles swore and turned quickly to Scott and Isaac.

"Stall them, now," he hissed, clasping his hand around the bend of Genie's elbow and dragging her towards a more secluded corner. She twisted her head to see the other two rushing towards the Sheriff and Agent McCall, and she stumbled after Stiles. For a moment, he seemed almost at a loss for what to do, but he turned and practically launched them into a room, shutting the door quietly behind them. The blinds on the window and the door leading into the main desk area were open, but neither bothered to flip them closed. Stiles whipped towards her, ducking his head to try to look her in the eyes and clutching her shoulders. Before he could even speak, Genie interrupted him, speaking in a low, clear voice.

"He said he was taking me to quarantine, but when he had me in the locker room, he pulled a gun. And- And- And you had seen us in the hall and followed, and you pushed me back so that you were between us, so-"

Narrow his eyes, Stiles leaned closer before shaking his head. "What are you- Genie, what-" he stuttered, looking genuinely confused. Genie flashed her eyes up to him and then to the side, back out the window towards where everyone else was standing, and noticed that all of the adults, now including her mother, were staring in their direction. Her gaze shifted back to Stiles as she reached an arm up to curl around her stomach, making sure to look like she was growing upset. Stunned at the change, Stiles made a small, uncomfortable noise, but Genie sniffled loudly and shook her head before he could speak.

"Obviously, you need me to hide something about what happened in there," she started, her voice wavering as she scrunched up her nose. Stiles looked even more uncomfortable, gaping at her and nodding slowly. "So, it needs to _not_ look like we're making up a story right now, and like we're just _really_ good friends who are _really_ happy we both got through a nightmare somehow."

With another sniffle, Genie shifted her eyes down to feet. Stiles's hands tightened on her shoulders before he pulled her close abruptly and wrapped his arms around her. She curled her arms around his middle instantly and ducked her head to rest her face against the top of his chest, letting out a muffled sob. Her hands spasmed and then curled into fists in the back of his hoodie. For a moment, Stiles stayed silent, seemingly baffled, but she felt him sigh in return against the top of her head.

"Okay- Okay, so I followed you into the locker room because it all seemed shady, pushed you out of the way which is why you were on the floor, and then he pointed the gun at my head. Just- Yeah, okay, yeah. Keep it as vague as possible, so there aren't any details that don't match up. Just get really upset. Agent McCall doesn't handle emotions well," Stiles instructed, shifting his head to rest atop hers more comfortably. Genie nodded a little, hesitating as she felt her hands shake against his back.

"Stiles, what's- What's going on?" she whispered, unable to stop the small sob that bubbled in her throat.

"Do you really not have a clue?" he muttered, his tone a little dark, almost disbelieving.

Genie let out another sob, shaking her head and fisting his hoodie harder in her hands. "A man just tried to kill me after telling me he didn't know _what_ I was. I don't- Stiles- What the _fuck-_ ," she whimpered, her voice cutting off abruptly as she continued to cry. Her entire body was shaking, the reality of what had happened crashing through her all over again.

Stiles's arms around her tightened and she released another wrecked noise. "I- Shit. Okay. Okay, you're sure you don't know-? Okay, that makes things a little harder, uh…" Stiles rambled, keeping his chin pressed to the top of her head as she cried. He shuffled his feet and repositioned them a little so her face was pressing against his neck instead of his collarbone. "We can't really talk about this right now. Agent McCall is- Shit, okay, Scott's dad is walking over. We'll talk about this later."

Sniffling loudly, Genie bobbed her head as much as she could manage and gave another half-sob. A knock on the door made her tense, and she hesitated before pulling back from Stiles's hold to trail her bloodshot gaze over to Agent McCall in the doorway. At seeing how Genie was shaking, he did a rapid double-take.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but- Uh- Genie, are you ready? You're mother wants to get you home, so we were going to get your interview done first… but if you need a minute, we could wait?" he asked carefully, opening the door more fully so he could step inside. Genie shuddered, snapping her eyes shut and wiping roughly at them with her sleeve. Her lungs felt too tight and she wobbled on her feet, Stiles's hand steadying her by her arm.

"Yeah- I just- It's been-"

"It's been a long day," Stiles finished, his voice quiet but heavy in the air. She turned to shoot Stiles a small, broken smile, blinking back another wave of tears and sucking in as deep a breath as she could manage.

"Okay. Okay, I understand. Let's just- Let's make this quick, then, yeah?" he asked, gesturing for the two to follow him as he walked back out into the main area. Genie's mother was practically vibrating with nervous energy next to the sheriff, stepping forward and taking Genie's arm firmly to walk with her into the small interrogation room in the back. Her hand was tense, fingers digging into Genie's skin uncomfortably through her hoodie as Stiles stepped away to linger by his dad and the others.

Agent McCall sat across the table from them, opening up a small file with a sigh and sliding it towards Genie as she took her seat.

"Genie, I'm going to ask you a few questions, and then ask you to write down a statement on the paper I just gave you. You need to answer truthfully, and to the best of your ability. Do you understand?" he clarified, keeping his voice even and professional. Genie hesitated, looking over at her mother and feeling a sharp stab of resignation settling in her stomach. There was no going back once she started lying. She knew that whatever was going on, whatever had almost gotten her killed, wasn't going to just disappear once she acknowledged it was real. Whatever it was, her mother knew too, and hadn't told her. They could both keep their secrets.

"Yes."

The questioning didn't take long, sped up by Genie's increasingly shallow breathing and stuttered answers. Agent McCall seemed willing to get the bare minimum from her before telling her she could leave. Her mother pulled her from her seat, weaving their fingers together and leading Genie from the room while Stiles and the Sheriff moved to join Agent McCall. Scott was talking to a deputy across the room. When Genie spotted Isaac perched on the edge of a desk close by, her pace slowed and she tugged her hand free from her mom's grip. Her stomach twisted at the frazzled look in her mother's eyes as she twisted to face Genie and took a step towards her.

"I'll be right out, mom. I just want to- Just- I'll be out in a second," she stuttered, hurrying away before her mother could voice anything to the contrary. Isaac perked up at her appearance, pushing off of the desk and stepping forward. With a sigh, Genie moved close enough to hug him, breathing in deep and laying her temple on his chest. His arms rose to circle her automatically. He was warm, a stark difference to the current flush of cold through Genie's system as she watched her mother walk out of the building. When Genie pulled away, her hands were shaking and she blinked up at Isaac with tired, bloodshot eyes.

"Isaac, the guy who- He said-"

"Genie," he warned quietly, shaking his head in a short movement. Her lips puckered together, eyes narrowing as she breathed in shakily. The unsettled feeling in her stomach was growing more insistent, more uncomfortable, the longer she felt like she was grasping for any clue of what was going on and coming back with empty hands.

"Stiles told me one of you would explain. I swear to God, if one of you doesn't tell me what the _fuck_ is going on, I'm going to-"

His eyes softened considerably as he pulled her back into a hug. "We're going to, but there isn't enough time right now," he reminded, echoing Stiles's words from earlier. Genie's eyes watered in frustration, her hands clenching into fists by her side, refusing to hug him back.

" _Isaac_ ," Genie begged, drawing in a ragged breath. She felt like she was vibrating in his hold, needing something to hold onto but unwilling to reach out for help until she got something in return. "You've got to give me something here. I feel like I'm going insane, and you guys are holding me at arms' length, and _I almost got shot for two-hundred thousand dollars tonight._ I don't- I don't even know what- He was disappointed I wasn't a _dog_ , Isaac! What does that even-"

"Keep your- Shh, you've got to keep your voice down!" he hissed, holding her out in his arms to look her in the eyes. He shot a look over at the room where Stiles and the Sheriff were sitting with Agent McCall and looked back to her. When she stared back defiantly, he seemed to deflate and leaned back to sit on the edge of the desk again, hands dropping to cross over his chest. He bit the inside of his cheek and looked away towards the front window. "And it was two-hundred and _fifty_ thousand dollars, actually."

Genie blinked at him, her mouth popping open in disbelief. He had the decency to look uncomfortable when he met her eyes again. A tremor ran through her, and her feet carried her a few steps back and away from him. "No one was in the room when he-"

"I know."

He sighed, reaching an arm out towards her and looking like he was about to drop from the sheer exhaustion of the movement. Sucking in a breath, Genie shook her head quickly and turned on her heel, her heart racing in her chest as the sudden urge to flee and get as far away as possible took over. A hand curled over her bicep and halted her so that Isaac could slide in front of her by the door, shooting an uncomfortable smile to the deputy raising an eyebrow at the pair by the dispatch desk. With a wave towards the man, Isaac ushered Genie backwards again, a desperate look on his face as he tried to explain.

"Genie, it's not like that. We didn't-"

"Did you know _before_ I was almost killed tonight that someone was going to try to kill me?" she asked, her voice spiking in panic at the guilty look on his face. When he didn't answer immediately, Genie pulled her arm out of his grasp.

"We- Well- Look, you weren't the only one he was trying to kill. Actually, he wasn't even specifically going after you. He was going after us," he attempted to argue, his voice rough, but Genie felt a wave of righteous anger bubble in her chest.

"He wasn't specifically going after me? Isaac, he was disappointed I didn't get killed by whatever virus he infected everyone with," she hissed, flinching as her voice broke and trailed into a whisper mid-sentence.

Isaac groaned, rubbing a hand over his face and sparing a glance towards the front windows again. "Calm down, I'll- Give me a damn minute and don't tell me not to tell you to calm down; I'm trying to tell you something," Isaac demanded, his tone becoming a little more frazzled when he saw the growing anger on her face at being told to chill out. Genie's mouth shut with a clack of her teeth. "I'll tell you anything you want to know, but Genie, right now you have to go calm down your mom because she is about to lose her shit."

She tried to peak around him, to see if she could spot her mother, but the blinds were closed on the front windows. Her stomach twisted, unsure of what his seeming observation implied. Isaac looked back down at her, eyes softening when he saw the confusion and fear written plainly in the wrinkle of her brow and the tremble of her bottom lip.

"When?" she demanded, eyes watering as that familiar frustrating feeling of the unknown swallowed her whole.

"Tomorrow… Alright, okay, tonight. I'll come over tonight, after your parents are asleep, or something," Isaac assured. He cast another look at the blinds before turning his eyes on Genie and squeezing her shoulders. "I promise. I'll tell you everything."

After a moment's hesitation, Genie gave a quick nod and backed away to the doors. Her mother was just starting to get back out of the car. The tension in her shoulders seemed to recede when Genie came into her line of sight, but she looked like she was fraying at the edges. Wordlessly, Genie opened up the passenger door and slipped inside, picking through her bag as her mother started the car. She breathed in slowly, trying to ignore the way her mother kept glancing at her as she pulled away from the station.

"You could have died today, Genevive! You could have died in that school today and I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because I moved us somewhere that wasn't safe for you," Mrs. Cary whispered, voice quiet and strained. Clenching her jaw shut, Genie turned to look out the window, her hands curled tightly into her hoodie. Her mother shot her an almost desperate look, mouth opening and closing quickly. "You have no idea how scared I- Honey, I need to know what happened in that room."

Genie sniffled quietly, keeping her eyes trained forward and trying to ignore the pressure in her chest. She was torn between two sides. Part of her wanted to spill everything to her mother, all of her fears and the words that kept her awake at night and the eyes of the man who had tried to kill her on _contract_ , but she couldn't say it. She couldn't say it because her mother was searching for an answer to a question she already knew the answer to. Her mother knew why Genie was a part of the equation, but at the moment, Genie couldn't rely on her to give her the full solution because she didn't know what was happening specifically in Beacon Hills.

"You already heard what happened, mom, when I spoke with Agent McCall. Don't make me talk about him again. Please," she replied in a quiet monotone, unwilling to take her eyes from their unfocused gaze out the window.

Mrs. Cary didn't speak again.

Her father broke down in tears the moment he saw her entering the house, drawing her into a hug tight enough to make Genie fear for broken bones. Behind her, her mother pressed close and sniffled into her hair. She stayed with them the bare minimum required of a reunion after one person had almost died, insisting that she wanted to shower away the day and then sleep until the end of the world. Both of her parents were reluctant to let her go, but Genie cited how bad she smelled as she ducked out of their embrace. She called out that she'd be going to bed immediately after she was done while she bolted up the stairs. After dumping her bag and hoodie in her room and grabbing a change of clothes, she scurried towards the bathroom, her phone clutched in her hand.

Laying her back against the door, Genie reached her free hand behind her to twist the lock. She glanced around the small bathroom quickly, eyes focusing on the cracked window. Hurriedly, she moved to tug the window shut and lock it as well. After taking a few breaths to steady herself and settle back on the edge of the tub, Genie raised her phone to look at the screen, thumbing it open to send a couple messages.

[To: Isaac Lahey, 9:47pm]

 _Please don't break your promise._

[To: Malia Tate, 9:47pm]

 _Are you okay? I didn't see you when we were leaving. Please tell me you're okay._

Genie bit her bottom lip, huffing out a breath through her nose in frustration. Her eyes drifted up towards the mirror and she stood up to look herself in the eye. The girl in front of her was almost unnaturally pale in the artificial light and her eyelids drooped heavily over bloodshot eyes. Strands of her hair were hanging in her face, oily and unkempt. Patches of skin on her neck were rubbed almost raw looking, settled beside the purple-brown bruise from several days prior. She looked like she had been through hell and come back on the other side missing a piece of herself. It wasn't an inaccurate assumption. Genie didn't know what to make of the mess that was lying before her, both in terms of her physical appearance and her life.

Never had Genie thought there was something different about her. Her life had been normal, at least as normal as a life of constantly relocating for her mother's job could be. She and her brothers had been _normal_ , and now she had had two attempts on her life within the week because of, quote, 'what she was.' A man had been disappointed she wasn't a dog, and apparently her friends… were? Lydia's insistence on a need for a _normal_ friend suddenly made much more sense to her.

After waiting impatiently for a few minutes for a message in return, she huffed out a breath and set her phone down on the back of the toilet. Genie moved mindlessly about the room, double checking the locks on the bathroom door and the window, before turning on the shower. The room filled with steam quickly. By the time she finally got out of the bathroom, she felt like she could hardly breathe from the moisture, and not, she told herself, from the anxiety bubbling under her skin. She poked her phone with a wrinkled finger, frowning when she saw that she had no new messages despite the fact that she had been in the shower for almost an hour.

Genie tried to force her breathing to even out as she walked back to her room in the dark, navigating half by memory and half by touch. Lingering by the door, she could hear her parents' hushed whispers, but found that the house was otherwise blessedly silent. After shutting the door quietly and locking it, she leaned her head against the wood and took a steadying breath before flipping the lights on with a sigh. When she turned, her knees buckled in fear as a figure rose from her desk chair and she opened her mouth to let out a terrified scream, only to stifle it with her own hand when she recognized them. Isaac held both hands out in front of him, a stricken look on his face as he realized just how badly he had scared her. Without a second thought, Genie bunched up her towel and lobbed it at him with a venomous glare.

"You asshole! What the hell were you thinking, you complete moron? Why would you-" she whispered in a hiss, leaning back against the wall and pressing her hands against her eyes as she cut herself off. Isaac was cycling through a series of apologies in an equally quiet voice, her towel curled in his arms. After taking a minute to try to breathe normally, she straightened up and walked towards Isaac to pull the towel from his arms. Genie set about toweling off her hair without looking at him. Wet trails slid down her neck and under the collar of her too-big t-shirt as she tossed the towel onto the hook on the back of her door, shivering at the shock of cold curling across her skin in the wake of her sudden panic. The tension coiled around her bones stayed taut as she paused by the window on the other side of the room, staring out at the night a moment before shoving it closed and twisting the lock. She checked another window and her door once more without word, Isaac having shut the window by her desk and gone silent. When she turned, he was nearly pressed into the corner, his shoulders hunched and his face downcast.

After rubbing at her eyes again wearily, Genie walked towards her bed and flopped down on it. She tipped her head back over the edge of her bed to look at Isaac upside down, catching his eyes and nodding towards the bed, but he didn't move from the corner. Strange. In the past couple weeks, Genie had seen a great many emotions on his face: that haunted emptiness, the worry for his friends, an uncertain and begrudging trust. This however, was something else entirely. He looked drawn into himself in a way Genie hadn't seen before. This haunted, empty look was unlike anything she'd seen on him, and the change made her nervous. Rolling over to tuck her legs underneath her and sit up, Genie reached out a hand to pat the bed in front of her before extending the same hand towards him. Isaac hesitated, a wary and exhausted look in his eyes, and Genie lowered her hand, suddenly uncertain.

Toeing off his sneakers, Isaac walked over quietly and lowered himself onto the blankets opposite of her, his legs crossed beneath him and his head ducked down. He looked up from under his eyelashes, but wouldn't maintain eye contact.

"Isaac?" she asked quietly, her voice breathy and unsure at this sudden change of behavior. Her uncertainty seemed to give him pause, and he let out a sigh before reaching out to twist his long fingers around her own.

"Did you know I live with Scott?" he questioned, eyes curious and face a little more open when he straightened to look at her. Genie shook her head quickly, furrowing her brows in confusion. "I lived with him before break, too. My dad died last year and my, uh, guardian kicked me out. Scott took me in without a second thought. When I came back this semester, I was expecting to live in a hotel for a while before I figured out something more permanent, but-"

"'McCall has a habit of picking up some interesting strays…'" Genie quoted under her breath, her voice half wonder and half nauseous disdain. The man with the pale eyes had told her that in the locker room, curious as to what made her special enough that Scott had decided to collect her. She glanced up, meeting Isaac's sharp inquisitive gaze. Her fingers tightened around his momentarily before drawing away to clutch at her stomach. "He said… He didn't know what I was, that I wasn't a dog, but that Scott had a habit of picking up strays…"

Isaac huffed out a disbelieving laugh, grimacing as he looked down at his hands. The sour face morphed into something a little more thoughtful, though. "Yeah, I guess he does."

Silence stretched between them, growing longer as they both refused to start the conversation they inevitably had to start. Genie's heart raced in her chest as she curled her fingers a little tighter in her shirt, keeping her eyes fixed on the blankets between them. Despite days of uncertainty and discomfort, Genie found herself unable to ask the questions that needed to be asked now that they had time. The moment was nearly identical to the one she found herself faced with earlier, when talking to Agent McCall. Once she started down this road, once she asked the questions and got her answers, Genie knew there would be no going back from whatever she found out. Her life had already changed forever, but for a moment, she wondered if she could just cling to her ignorance and make it all go away. When she looked up to see Isaac's concerned and conflicted face, she knew she couldn't run any longer.

"I don't know where to start," Isaac admitted, fingers fiddling with the edge of his jeans. Genie hummed in agreement before sighing and curling up on her bed. After a moment's pause, Isaac mirrored her movements and held out a hand. She curled her hand around his without a thought.

"So… I am not a dog," Genie started, voice shaking slightly. Isaac squeezed her hand tighter.

"You are, decidedly, not a dog," he assured, quiet but steady.

Genie sucked in a breath, trying to gather her courage and figure out how to phrase her next thought gently and with as little judgement or disbelief as possible. "But you… are," she said, not quite a question but not a sure statement either. Isaac looked away and gave a quick nod of his head.

"Yes."

"Okay…" she breathed, drawing her other arm around her middle and curling her legs in a little tighter. Isaac's knees brushed against her shins as she moved and she found herself shifting closer to keep the contact. "Okay, so you're… a dog. What does that mean, exactly?"

With a pained look on his face, Isaac drew away to roll halfway onto his back, covering his face with both hands and curling up tighter. "I am the worst person to give this talk. Scott or Lydia or, hell, even Stiles would be better at this than me!" he griped from behind his hands, scratching at his hairline without moving out of position. Genie furrowed her brows again, frowning at his reaction, but unable to fault him on it because of the absurdity of the situation. When he wouldn't remove his hands from his face or turn back to her after a few minutes, Genie reached across the divide to curl her hand into the side of his shirt and give a tug to try and shake him.

"Isaac… Isaac, come on!" she pleaded, giving another shake. "I have enough people keeping secrets from me, including my own mom apparently, so please just- I have to know. I have to know, with _my life_ on the line, what is-"

Genie cut herself off with a startled gasp as Isaac rolled back towards her, a growl rumbling in his chest. His hands rose to frame Genie's face, but she couldn't care less. In fact, she couldn't do anything other than stare in blind shock when she found his eyes, his eyes which were normally so blue she could practically drown in them, were staring back at her and glowing an eerie golden-yellow. Her breath was caught in her throat and she was unable to focus even as Isaac started to speak in a low, determined voice.

"Nothing is going to happen to you. I'm not going to let-" he started, cut off when Genie's hand raised to cover his mouth. He blinked at her, a little startled, but didn't continue to talk.

It took Genie a moment to get her wits about her. "What the _hell_ is going on with your _eyes?"_ she questioned, her voice trailing off in a horrified whisper. Isaac shut his eyes tight, his face scrunching up in concentration, before he let go of her face and curled forward to duck under her chin. The hand Genie had over his mouth trailed up to cup the back of his head instead. He tucked a little closer in response to rest his forehead against her collarbone as he let out a shaky sigh. When he didn't start speaking again, Genie found herself growing impatient. " _Isaac._ "

"So, do you believe in werewolves?"

* * *

A/N: And finally, the next chapter. Let me know what you guys think! Comments, suggestions, all of it welcome. I really appreciate all you readers, new and old, checking this out. All my love, till next time!


End file.
